Rhythmic Pretty Cure
by Yasuo Yamada Kamiya
Summary: Five rhythmic gymnastics students at a prestigious private school somewhere in Japan join forces to protect their world and the Realm of the Sun and the Moon from Unpleasant Dreams, Inc. and its generals, the Nightmare Beauties, who wish to remake the universe in the image of their boss.
1. A Ribbon of Cherry Blossoms

The moon appeared to be blood-red.  
It was a special night, according to some. Claims had been made about that lunar eclipse and those which would follow. But what they didn't know was that an entirely different series of events was soon to take place.  
Somewhere in Japan, five technicolor lights appeared within the city. There was a sixth light that was bigger and colorless. They all split off, with the colored lights hitting random places in a pentagonal arrangement, and the colorless light hitting the city's center. The green light struck the Lower West Corner. The yellow light struck the Upper Corner. The blue light struck the Upper East Corner. The red light struck the Upper West Corner. The pink light struck the Lower East Corner.  
A teenage boy wearing a pink nightgown was woken up by the resulting noise. He rushed to the window and was promptly treated to the spectacular light show. He watched in awe as the lights scattered all over the city.  
Little did he know that this was the start of a series of events in which he would soon be involved...

A Chrysler Voyager minivan pulled up outside the gates of Altair Private Academy, a school in Sunrise Heights which was said to be one of the best private schools in all of Japan. Altair was divided into three sections: a general education section for those who didn't know what they wanted to do; a rhythmic gymnastics section; and an American football section. Hitomi Ichinose, who wore a pink tunic with a double-layered skirt, had signed up with the rhythmic gymnastics section on the advice of his mother.  
"Have a good day," his mother said as the minivan drove away. Just then, Tsumugi Nikaido, his longtime friend and karate classmate, showed up on roller skates. She wore a red tank top and jean shorts. Her hair was tied in twintails, her standard-issue ballet slippers were hanging from a belt loop on her shorts, and she wore elbow pads and knee pads.  
"Good morning, Lisa," Hitomi said in plain English. He reverted back to Japanese as he continued, "Did you see the light show last night?"  
"Yeah!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "The lights went all over Dream City! One was pink and the others were red, yellow, green, blue and white. I saw the white light hit the center of the city from my window!"  
"I thought the lights were awesome, too. It's always cool to see a light show."  
Tsumugi skated through the gate and said, "Come on, Hitomi!"  
Hitomi walked through the gate as a limousine pulled up, with a tall girl with jet black hair, clad in a blue tutu, inside. Her name was Itsuko Godai. She stepped out of the limo and curtsied to the driver, then walked up to Hitomi and Tsumugi. "Good morning, Hitomi. Good morning, Tsumugi."  
Both curtsied to her and said, "Good morning."  
Itsuko looked around and said, "Ana should be here around now. She's probably jogging a bit slower than usual today."  
In came Ana Yotsuya, who was wearing a green dress and running shoes. "Good morning," she said as she stopped. Hitomi and Tsumugi watched as Ana and Itsuko went ahead to their class.  
"Something's been bugging me lately," Hitomi said as he watched the two go into the school building. "Why are Ana and Itsuko always together?"  
Tsumugi said, "I've heard Itsuko's aunt leads the agency to which Ana belongs."  
"Hmm. No wonder, then."  
Suddenly, they noticed a short-haired girl in a yellow tutu going clumsily into the air. "SAEKO!" Tsumugi shouted.  
Hitomi ran over to the scene and caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked.  
"I'm fine," Saeko replied.  
Tsumugi walked over and picked up a stray banana peel. "Ugh! Bloody litterbugs!" she groaned in disgust as she threw the peel into the nearest wastebasket. "Anyway, this girl is my friend, Saeko Mitaka. I met her shortly after signing up for karate class. She does ballet, but I teach her what I know of karate every now and then, so she can defend herself against anyone who picks on her."  
"Thank you for saving me, Mister..."  
"Ichinose, Hitomi Ichinose."  
The first bell rang. Tsumugi said, "Let's get to class!"

The head teacher of Rhythmic Gymnastics Class G was Eric Napier, an American. His assistants were the British Esther Nashton and the Franco-Spaniard Edmundo Navarro. The classes were taught in Room 107 in the dance building.  
Today, it was Coach Napier's turn to lead the jogging.  
"FAI-TO! FAI-TO! FAI-TO!" was the chant as they went jogging. All were clad in pink tracksuits worn over their rhythmic gymnastics clothes. For the most part, Hitomi was able to pay attention. However, he briefly got distracted once by the sight of a girl clad in a sailor fuku with waist-length pink hair and blue eyes. She was getting a good talking to from someone who appeared to be her sister.  
"Rica!" the older girl said. "What are you doing here?"  
The younger girl said, "Just looking for someone."  
"Even if it's me," the older girl replied, "this isn't the time to hang around here. Perhaps you'd want to visit us during the school festival?"  
Hitomi asked, "Does this girl remind you of anyone, Princess?"  
"Yeah," Tsumugi said. "Someone I saw on TV when I was younger."  
"Mr. Ichinose! Miss Nikaido! Pay attention!" Coach Napier barked.  
The jogging continued.

Coach Nashton led the ballet portion of the class. The students practiced their plies, tendus, releves, degages, piques, etc. at the barre. As they did, she inspected them for proper posture and proper turnout.  
"Miss Hisakawa," she said, "how many times do I have to tell you? For proper turnout, you should engage your thigh muscles so that your feet are turned outward, not inward. Miss Murasaki, I understand you're very eager about all things ballet, but for now, you should only do these things in first or second position around here. Miss Yukihiro, your arm movement should come from the back. Miss Mitaka, keep up the good work. Miss Nikaido, you seem to be catching on. Watching your friend's dance classes must've worked wonders."  
Walking up to Hitomi, she continued, "Mr. Ichinose, please pay attention. Watch your back. Keep it straight."  
However, Hitomi couldn't quite stop thinking about what had gone on near the sports grounds.

Every day, they learned a different apparatus or two.  
Monday, the hoop. Tuesday, the ribbon. Wednesday, the clubs and the double rings. Thursday, the ball. Friday, the stick. Saturday, the rope.  
Today was Tuesday.  
Unexpectedly, Hitomi proved to be one of the best with the ribbon. Coach Navarro could only gaze with surprise. "Sacrebleu!" he said. "The first boy to enroll in our rhythmic gymnastics program, and he's already proving to be a natural with the ribbon!"  
Tsumugi herself proved to be no slouch with the ribbon. She put on a pair of wireless headphones and started Track #7 of the CD inside of the boom box to which they were assigned.  
As the priestesses on the recording started their invocation, Tsumugi started practicing her ribbon routine. Once the musical interlude started, she really got going. The other students were practicing their own routines, wearing their own wireless headphones and practicing to different pieces of music. Saeko was doing hers to Adam's Giselle. Ana's was to Morricone's Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. Itsuko's was to Williams's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sakura Hisakawa practiced to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. And Hitomi was practicing to Ortolani's Cannibal Holocaust.  
Such a beautiful piece it was, that it sounded much sweeter than its title. Hitomi liked Italian music ever since Tsumugi had first given him an Italian film record for his birthday several years before. However, she also knew that he liked the local J-pop music, particularly that of Morning Musume and its members past and present, just as much. Indeed, for a middle-class teenager, he had a rather unusual collection of music.  
The massive amount of space required for 15 simultaneous individual ribbon routines was why the dance studio where the classes took place was so immense. The place was three stories tall with a wooden floor covered in heavy-duty vinyl and a single mirror wall. There was also a locker room with one portion reserved for the girls and the other reserved for the boys. The latter had never been used before.  
On the routines went. The coaches watched and made note of any flaws that popped up, in order to help the students improve their technique.  
Suddenly, Hitomi stumbled and got tangled in his ribbon. "What in tarnation!?" Coach Napier exploded. Hitomi gave them the OK sign and said, "Sorry, I haven't been able to concentrate since I saw that strange girl on the grounds while we were jogging."  
"For God's sake, son," Coach Napier said, "keep your mind here and now where it belongs! I will advise you to not let chance encounters with strangers distract you from rhythmic gymnastics practice in the future!"  
However, Hitomi had more important things to worry about than getting distracted by thoughts about the events that had transpired while he and the rest of the class were jogging that day.  
He had not yet purchased a birthday present for Tsumugi. And her birthday was today.

When he got home, Hitomi changed into a leather jacket, a T-shirt, and jeans before departing. As he entered the DVD store to look for the present, he saw the strange girl again, but this time, he decided he wouldn't let her distract him. "What's up with her?" he asked as he started his search.  
He went through the shelves as fast as he could. On and on and on he searched, until finally…  
"Eureka!" said he. "The first Blu-ray volume of Delta Dynamos! Tsumugi is a fan of this series, but she hasn't been able to locate it yet, no matter how many times she searched every video store in Soho. Is she ever going to love this!"  
Suddenly, he heard a mysterious voice. "Delta Dynamos! I love this show! The most awesome magical girl series this side of Sailor Moon!"  
He looked around and saw the girl. "You're that girl who wandered onto the grounds of Altair Private Academy, aren't you?"  
The girl looked shocked that he had presumed to be familiar with her. "How did you know!?" she exclaimed.  
"Easy: I happened to notice your presence as my rhythmic gymnastics class was jogging right by today," Hitomi said. "Who are you, really?"  
The pinkhead curtsied and replied, "My name is Rica Bandai, but you can call me Ribbon." The perplexed redheaded megane said, "I'm Hitomi Ichinose. I see your hair happens to be my favorite color."  
Rica said, "Pink's also my favorite color. In fact, I'm all pink in my true form!"  
Hitomi was confused. "True… form?"  
"Yeah!" said the strange twintailed girl. "At first glance, I'm just another human being, just like you. But in fact…"  
POOF! The girl was gone, and in her place was a pink-furred bunny rabbit. Hitomi did a double take. "You're a… a ra… a bunny rabbit!?"  
"What?" Ribbon asked. "You've never seen a member of the leporidae family before?"  
"Well, actually," Hitomi said, "yes. But I've never seen one that can turn into a human girl before!"  
Suddenly, Ribbon took on an expression as though she had seen a ghost. "OH D-D-D-DEAR!"  
"What now?" Hitomi asked.  
"There's a… m-monster… t-t-turning… p-p-people… t-to stone!"  
Sure enough, a creature resembling a basilisk was going around biting people and turning them to stone. "Oh, crap! Let's get out of here!" Hitomi shouted.  
He grabbed the Delta Dynamos Blu-ray set ("I'm not leaving this place without it!") and took off for the cash register, only to find that the lady stationed there had also been petrified. He looked around outside the window and saw other people already looking like freshly-carved marble. He put down the Blu-ray set, saying, "I'll take care of you later. Right now, I've got a city to save."  
The basilisk-like creature came up behind Hitomi and shouted, "HEBINODOKU!"  
Hitomi screamed and pushed through the door. "Who the hell are you, you basilisk?"  
"BASILISK IS MY MASTER!" the creature roared. "CALL ME HEBINODOKU!"  
Hitomi asked, "Who is this Basilisk?"  
Ribbon said, "She's a general for the Nightmare Beauties. The Hebinodoku she sends can turn people to stone!"  
"SURRENDER," the Hebinodoku said, "OR FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU RESIST I TURN ANOTHER HUMAN INTO STONE. STARTING WITH FOUR-EYES!"  
Ribbon said, "I think it means you."  
Hitomi looked around at those that the Hebinodoku had already petrified. "Go ahead. Turn me to stone. What's one more body amongst foundations to you? To me, one can make a huge difference. Sure, it may be a cramped-up pity life here in the city, which is part of the reason why my family lives in the suburbs, away from the bustling of the city, but without cities, life as we know it may not be able to go on!  
"Who among these people gives us the electricity, the water, and the gas which we take for granted? How do their differences make things more lively? And how do people expect to get along when you petrify those that power this city? Your works of art cannot be considered art. Such still life as this only has a place in musea, not in the middle of a bustling shopping center!  
"Life would be more beautiful if people were able to move from place to place as they please and think for themselves. How can they, if they've been turned to stone? You are trying to stop a city dead in its tracks. That, I cannot forgive!"  
The Hebinodoku lunged at Hitomi. But there he stood firmly. The creature drew closer and closer to him, at a seemingly ever-increasing speed...  
He didn't turn to stone.  
Instead, a flash of light between him and the Hebinodoku blew the creature back. The pink light started to move. Hitomi followed it. Ribbon asked, "Where are you going?"  
"Wherever that light's taking me," Hitomi said, "I have a good feeling about this."  
It stopped short of the edge of Soho. "A 3DS? The light stopped over one of these things?"  
"Just pick it up!" Ribbon said. "It's one of five that dropped down with me last night!"  
"You mean there are others like it?"  
"Others like you, it would seem! Four others, to be exact!"  
Hitomi picked up the 3DS and turned it on. He then pressed Up twice on the D-Pad, then Down twice, then Left, Right, Left, Right, and finally, the B, A, and Start buttons. All of a sudden, the screens turned a bright white at the top and pink below.  
"PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
Hitomi was promptly shielded by a barrier of pink light. The Hebinodoku tried to throw a nearby boulder at him, but the light instantly disintegrated the boulder and blew it into the creature's face. When the light dissipated, he was dressed differently.  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
Upon finishing his transformation, Hitomi promptly freaked out. "What's going on!? I figured I'd be a Super Sentai type, but I never thought I'd look like this when fighting my enemies!"  
"AN OPENING! HEBINODOKU!"  
That was enough for Hitomi to jump out of the way. Before he knew it, he was catapulted sky-high. "Whoa!" said he. "I never knew I could jump that high!"  
He extended his right leg with his toes pointed downward and landed right on the creature's neck. Believing it to be no more, he said, "Smashing."  
He promptly got thrown backwards when the creature got back up. "Hitomi!" Ribbon shouted.  
Hitomi said, "I'm OK."  
Ribbon said, "You're overthinking things; this is one monster that your average everyday k-k-karate can't d-defeat!"  
"You're right. But I've got to fight it somehow!"  
The monster lunged at him once again, and this time, he leaped over it, almost as if he were a gazelle. "DODGE THIS!" roared the frustrated creature. "HEBINODOKU!"  
"TWIRL BEAM!"  
Suddenly, laser beams shot out of Hitomi's eyes, blasting the Hebinodoku far away. "How did I do that!?"  
Ribbon said, "Believe that there's some way to save the city from this terror!"  
The Hebinodoku lunged at Hitomi again. "TWIRL TELEPORT!"  
He was back inside the building. "COWARD!" the Hebinodoku roared as it entered through the still-open door.  
"I AM NOT A COWARD!" Hitomi bellowed as he charged at the Hebinodoku. "TWIRL PUNCH!"  
He swung his fist at the Hebinodoku and hit it hard. However, it wouldn't give up so easily after being punched. In fact, it rethought its strategy in nothing flat and simply wrapped itself around him. "Ribbon!" he shouted. "Help!"  
"Hitomi!"  
The Hebinodoku said, "EITHER SURRENDER, OR I KILL THIS REBEL!"  
"I'm no rebel!" Hitomi shouted. "Ribbon, don't give in."  
"B-But Hitomi!" Ribbon wailed. "You'll d-d-die!"  
"Don't worry about me," Hitomi said. "Remember what you said earlier? I've got to believe I can save the city from this terror. Well, I can. And I will!"  
With these words, he broke free from the Hebinodoku's clutches. "Graceful Ribbon."  
A pink gymnastics ribbon appeared in his left hand. He twirled it above him as he performed a pair of counter-clockwise tiptoe turns, then he leapt into the air. He landed and performed a half turn, swinging the ribbon in front of him. Swinging it above him, he then performed a clockwise pirouette en dedans and changed hands so the ribbon was now in his right hand. He posed on his tiptoes with his arms forming a Y shape.  
"Pretty Cure Elegant Spiral!"  
With these words, he started twirling the ribbon in front of him. The ribbon took on a spiral shape as it extended with each small tiptoe step he made, until it touched the Hebinodoku, causing a long ribbon to form. It wrapped itself around the creature and squeezed it tight, purifying it. An explosion of light followed, after which he curtsied.  
As he looked around, he saw a mysterious woman glaring at him from the shadows. She sneered at him silently before vanishing. "Was that Basilisk?" he asked.  
"Seems so," Ribbon said. "Full name Basilisk the Sculptor."  
At that point, a strange card appeared in his hands. "And what's this?"  
"It's a Cure Chip," Ribbon replied. "It's one of many and will come in handy at some point during your mission. Well, I didn't receive an invite to your friend's birthday party, so I'm afraid I can't come with you for now. But I have the feeling we'll meet again."  
As the humans in the vicinity returned to normal, Hitomi detransformed. He was wearing his glasses again. "Well, ti vedrò più tarde!" said Ribbon.  
"I don't know what that means," Hitomi said, "but have a nice day."  
Ribbon left.

The birthday party took place at Nikaido Manor. Tsumugi looked marvelous for the occasion; her hair was down, and she wore a red headband, a red blouse, dark-rinse blue jeans, and red ballet flats. There were several guests present. Hitomi was the last of them to arrive, but he did get there with a few minutes to spare.  
When it came time to hand out presents, Hitomi was eager to give her his present, but he decided to save the best for last. When everyone else had passed out their presents, Tsumugi asked, "What took you so long, Hitomi? Why the hesitation?"  
"Why do you ask, Princess?"  
"Just wondering, is all. I figured you had a good reason, mate."  
"I figured I should save the best for last," he said as he gave her the present. As she opened it, he said in plain English, "Happy birthday, Lisa."  
There it was. Tsumugi couldn't contain her excitement. There, before her eyes, was the first Blu-ray volume of the science fantasy magical girl series Delta Dynamos. "Crikey, Hitomi," she said, "you shouldn't have."  
"I had you in mind when shopping for your present," Hitomi said. "I knew you were a fan of this series but hadn't yet been able to find it. Better still, it's the collector's edition."  
The fangirl within Tsumugi suddenly exploded as she spun around twice and shouted, "AWESOME!"  
Fun was had by all that night.


	2. Cheerleading Chaos

_My name is Hitomi Ichinose. I'm 14 years old, but I turn 15 in about a month and a half. Speaking of turning 15, my adventure began while I was doing some last-minute birthday shopping for my friend and karate classmate, Tsumugi Nikaido. I ran into a strange girl who I had previously seen on school grounds while jogging with the rest of my rhythmic gymnastics class. All throughout the class, my mind was distracted as I pondered who she really was.  
Then I found out.  
She was no ordinary girl, but a fairy from another world who was apparently on the run from a basilisk summoned by some weird shadowy lady. But somehow, I got Pretty Cure powers from a stray 3DS handheld console and saved the day and managed to get to Tsumugi's birthday party on time with her present. Suffice it to say, being a fan of mahou shoujo anime, she enjoyed it.  
Now, it's a new day, and here I am outside of the school gates, waiting for her to show up as usual..._

"G'day, mate!" Tsumugi said as she skated towards Hitomi, who likewise greeted her in English, as usual. "Good morning, Lisa."  
"Ready for another great day in rhythmic gymnastics class?"  
"Sure I am, Princess," Hitomi said. "We also have extracurricular activities today: I my spring training with the Altair Tigers, and you your cheerleading camp."  
"Of course!" Tsumugi said. "How could I forget?"  
Ana showed up jogging. She stopped in front of Hitomi and Tsumugi and said, "I hope I didn't miss Itsuko."  
Glancing in one direction, Tsumugi saw a limousine approaching and said, "If that Fifth Avenue is anything to go by, you didn't."  
Sure enough, Itsuko stepped out of the limo, curtsied to the driver, and greeted Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Ana. Of the four of them, Itsuko knew next to no English and so greeted them in Japanese. "Good morning, Hitomi, Good morning, Tsumugi. Good morning, Ana."  
Hitomi and Tsumugi curtsied as they and Ana returned the favor. "Good morning," they said.

It was almost as if it had happened yesterday. Several years before, they first met right before their first karate class. Tsumugi, clad in the pink karategi worn by the other female students, was stretching before the class. Up stepped a redheaded young boy about her age, wearing glasses and a blue karategi.  
"Hey, there. You thought this was a gymnastics class? Well, get real," the boy said. "This is a karate class. Much rougher than any form of gymnastics, or so I heard."  
Tsumugi looked up and said, "No. I was led to believe that stretching like this before a karate class was fashionable."  
"Fashionable, eh? Seems someone in your family has been doing too much gymnastics," the boy said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to laugh. Several famous karateka are also skilled at gymnastics."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah!" Hitomi said. "Such as Shinichi Chiba, for example. Star of the science fiction film Message From Space, alongside the great Vic Morrow."  
Tsumugi asked, "Are you interested in the movies?"  
"Mainly Super Sentai," Hitomi replied. "Name's Ichinose, Hitomi Ichinose."  
Tsumugi said, "I'm Tsumugi Nikaido, mate. I'm more into mahou shoujo."  
"Come to think of it," Hitomi said, "I like a few mahou shoujo programs myself."  
"I too enjoy Super Sentai to some degree. Wanna be friends, mate?"  
Hitomi said, "Sure."  
Just then, Kudo-sensei appeared. "All right, boys and girls," said he. "Class is about to begin."

This time, the apparati of the day were the clubs and the double rings.  
Tsumugi twirled her clubs like batons, and she was real good at moving her arms around in a variety of ways. To the amazement of Hikari Fukuda, who was also in her karate class, she was able to move the baton around both of her legs with one raised behind her. "I knew she was flexible," she said, "but to be able to do that with her body, you'd think she'd learned some tricks from my mom!"  
No one but the only other bespectacled Class G student, Yasu Osaka, was able to even come close to matching Tsumugi's absolute dexterity with the clubs. In fact, the meganekko in the black leotard and purple skirt was even able to surpass her in skill, putting to good use bravura techniques she had learned in her ballet class. Her dance style was noticeably more masculine than those of the other girls in her dance class, and especially with how she handled the clubs, it showed.  
Hitomi was himself no slouch, but it soon became clear that especially after becoming a Pretty Cure for the first time the day before, he didn't know his own strength. Within minutes, both clubs ended up getting stuck in the ceiling. On instinct, he promptly leapt towards the ceiling and, to even his own surprise, went high enough to extract both clubs.  
"A-friggin'-mazing!" Coach Napier declared. "Mr. Ichinose is the first rhythmic gymnast in history who's able to extract his clubs from the ceiling when they get stuck! How does he do that?"  
"I speak for him," Yasu said, "when I say a good magician never reveals his secrets."  
"Impossible!" Hikari said. "There's no such thing as magic... right? It's probably just his natural jumping height, is all."  
Tsumugi refused to let her baton twirling be interrupted by her amazement at this impressive feat, but Saeko briefly stopped and said, "I didn't know he could jump that high!"  
But they did now.  
Before picking up where she had left off, Saeko asked, "Why does Tsumugi not stop twirling her clubs when she sees how high Hitomi can jump?"  
As she continued her practice with the clubs, Yasu replied, "As Confucius say, a good cheerleader never stops practicing once she starts."  
Another Class G student, Chiyo Natsuki, said, "What Confucius allegedly say is true. Tsumugi has practiced as often as she can, and I have a feeling she's going to make the Roaring Tigresses this year."  
Chiyo was the youngest of the Class G students, a full month younger than Hitomi, and yet she had enough experience as a cheerleader before entering Altair that she was able to volunteer as a coach at the cheerleading camp, in addition to joining the Altair Regular Army of Cheerleaders. She was looking forward to the next cheerleading camp session after school.

"Ribbon!" Hitomi suddenly shouted in the direction of his bag as he ran to the ToraDome, where the rest of the Altair Baseball Tigers would soon gather. "What are you doing here?"  
"Hitomi," the pink-furred rabbit said, "please tie my hair."  
"What are you talking about? I don't even decorate my own hair! In fact, I don't have any decorations on me."  
"I told you before," Ribbon said, "that the Cure Chip you found would be useful at some point. Did you bring your Rhythm Console with you?"  
Hitomi reached into a pocket he had fixed to a point between the layers of his skirt and pulled it out. "You think I'd risk getting attacked by one of those Hebinodoku creatures and not being prepared?"  
"Brilliant thinking!" Ribbon said.  
"I'm not a scholarship student for nothing."  
Removing the Cure Chip already inside, he replaced it in the card holder and inserted the Cure Chip from the day before in its place. "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start."  
After Hitomi entered the code, a pair of ribbons appeared out of nowhere. "Tie them onto my hair!" Ribbon said. As soon as Hitomi did so, Ribbon took on her human form. "Don't I look pretty?" she asked.  
Hitomi said, "I guess."  
"Anyway," Ribbon said, "the Cure Chips are very important in your quest to save my world and yours from the Nightmare Beauties."  
"Nightmare Beauties?"  
"A group of four women who serve as generals for Unpleasant Dreams, Inc. They answer to a strange and mysterious woman called Cottonmouth the Terrible. Those petrified shoppers in Soho, they were just the beginning. If Basilisk the Sculptor or her comrades were to unleash their Hebinodoku unchecked, just think of what would happen! Everyone wearing the same clothes! All buildings being a set height! Choruses of 'Everything Is Awesome' being played from every boom box the world over!"  
Hitomi said, "Seems you hate that song, too."  
"Hate it? I'm TIRED of it!"  
"I don't blame you."  
Ribbon continued, "Pretty Cure is the natural enemy of Unpleasant Dreams, Inc., and their destiny is to protect the Realm of the Sun and the Moon and the Realm of the Greenery from the Nightmare Beauties."  
"Hey! Hitomi!" Tsumugi shouted as she passed by. "Great to see you all pumped up, mate!"  
Ribbon paused and asked, "Who is that?"  
Hitomi said, "That's Tsumugi Nikaido, my half-Australian friend whose birthday party I went to yesterday."  
"You're Tsumugi Nikaido?" Ribbon asked. She curtsied and said, "Pleased to meet you!"  
"Crikey," Tsumugi said. "I seem to recognise you. Were you that stranger who Hitomi claimed to have seen while we were jogging yesterday?"  
"Yeah!" Ribbon said. "But I also have another form, one which you might mistake for a stuffed animal."  
"I was kind of expecting that," Tsumugi said. "Show me who you really are."  
POOF! "KAWAI~!" Tsumugi shouted. "A cute little bunny rabbit! I defo saw that one coming!"  
"Which brings us to the inevitable question Delta Venus may have asked some of her future teammates on Delta Dynamos," Hitomi said. He cleared his throat. "You interested in being a Pretty Cure, Princess?"  
Tsumugi had heard about this Pretty Cure Hitomi was talking about. She was a regular viewer of Pretty Cure Weekly, hosted by the intrepid reporter Miyo Masuko, so she was pretty much familiar with the concept of a Pretty Cure. "AWESOME!" she shouted as she spun around twice.  
Ribbon asked, "Does she always do that?"  
"Only when she gets really excited about something," Hitomi said. "Usually in relation to mahou shoujo anime."  
"Say no more!" Tsumugi said. "I'd very much like to! But if I can't, you can count on me to cheer you on! Speaking of which, don't I have cheerleading camp in a few minutes?"  
"Yes, you should really get going, Princess," Hitomi said. "I was just about ready to head for the ToraDome myself, to join the Tigers for spring training."  
"Well, later, mate!" Tsumugi said as she went down the hall of the dance building. Hitomi continued on his way, saying, "And I'll be seeing you later, Ribbon."  
"Hey! I want to watch your spring training game! Boo boo boo!" Ribbon pouted.  
"Be my guest, then," Hitomi said, "but stay in my bag, and don't draw attention to yourself, OK?"  
"Fair enough," Ribbon said.

The Tarazed Gamma Rays had scored a home run that gave them three runs for the price of one. Runs had been driven in from both first and second base, and their right fielder had just hit a single afterwards. Things were pretty tense as their first baseman stepped up to the plate.  
"Up next," said one of the color commentators for this spring training game, "Ichiro Mutaguchi!"  
Mutaguchi was confident that he'd get another hit. However, the Tigers, especially their pitcher Ichigo Kimachi, had other plans for him. Hitomi watched readily from left field as Mutaguchi swung his bat at Ichigo's pitch. The ball flew past the foul line, and Mutaguchi had to try again, with one strike counted against him. Ichigo proceeded to throw another fastball.  
Mutaguchi hit it into left field. "Fly ball, pulled down the left side!" shouted the color commentator. Hitomi ran towards the shadow of the ball and caught it just inches above the ground. "WHAT A CATCH!" the color commentator shouted in amazement at Hitomi's shoestring catch, which sent the game to the bottom of the second.

Back at the cheerleading camp, Chiyo had the radio set to the school's baseball broadcasting frequency. Most of the cheerleaders in training wore black leotards, but Tsumugi simply wore her rhythmic gymnastics clothes, as always. Their next big cheer was during Hitomi's turn at bat.  
"This is my favorite moment!" Tsumugi said. "They're counting on Hitomi to do what Sanji just failed to do!"  
"And what we're counting on him to do as well!" Chiyo said. "Now, then! Follow along!"  
On the cheer went. "S! C! O, R, E! Score! Score! Score! S! C! O, R, E! Score! Score! Score!"

Unfortunately, Hitomi had been left to make his attempt with two outs. He had the bad luck of hitting it into the glove of Gamma Rays center fielder Haruhiko Kimura, ending the inning without the Tigers making any progress.  
However, their defense proved to be stronger at the top of the third; though they gave up a few singles, they were able to prevent any runs from being scored that inning and even successfully picked off one of the runners. In her new role as second baseman, Yukari Ichijo, the only girl on the Tigers' 25-player roster that year, ended the inning by throwing the ball to first baseman Chikara Suzushima before the batter could reach first, causing the third out and sending the game to the bottom of the third.  
Around that time, a ruckus was going on inside of the dance studio. Sensing it as he ran back to the Tigers dugout, Hitomi said, "Perfect timing!"  
Running past his manager, he said, "I'll be back before it's my turn to bat, or else before the next inning, whichever comes first!"

A Hebinodoku had been summoned.  
One of the girls in the cheerleading camp was striving for perfection as a cheerleader, her mother having been a top cheerleader before her. A mysterious being had taken advantage of that desire for perfection and made a monster out of it (or, rather, two; see, pom-poms come in pairs, and the Hebinodoku was no exception).  
"Get down!" Tsumugi shouted. "You too, Chiyo!"  
"You presume to order me around?" Chiyo asked.  
"No! I presume to protect you and the others from this pair of beasts!"  
Chiyo then shouted, "You heard Miss Nikaido! Duck!"  
But it was too late for one of them; Izumi Kitagawa, whose pom-poms had gone missing for some reason, had already been grabbed by one of the creatures. Tsumugi used an unprintable word in utter disgust as the Hebinodoku both roared in unison, "HE! BI! NO, DO, KU! HEBINODOKU! HEBINODOKU! HEBINODOKU!"  
"I heard that!" shouted a male voice. Tsumugi recognized it. "Who do you think you are? Disrupting a cheerleading camp for your own sport! That, I cannot forgive!"  
That was when Hitomi, now transformed into Cure Twirl, charged in and hit them one by one. "What took you so long, mate?" Tsumugi asked.  
"Bit of a long run from the ToraDome, Princess," Hitomi said in reply, "but I could sense it from there!"  
"Never mind that!" Tsumugi said. "Just get those monsters out of here!"  
"Sure thing, Princess. Come on, you oversized balls of confetti!"  
Hitomi ran out of the studio. The Hebinodoku threw their victim down and gave chase.

"Finally!" Hitomi said. "Enough space that I feel more comfortable fighting you punks! Take this, then! TWIRL KICK!"  
Hitomi hit one with a flying kick and then summoned a whirlwind to thrash the other. "TWIRL TORNADO!"  
However, both recovered, and they were madder than ever. "Uh-oh," said Tsumugi, who had followed them outside. "I think you only made them angry!"  
Ribbon, who had accompanied Hitomi to the scene, shouted, "WATCH OUT!"  
But it was too late. The first of the pair knocked him down, and the second grabbed him and shook him as they performed their lame excuse for a cheer for Unpleasant Dreams, Inc.  
"Those nasty little whackers!" Tsumugi shouted. "How dare they!?"  
At this point, a red light appeared. Tsumugi followed it, shouting, "Hey! Wait up!"  
It stopped over another Rhythm Console. "Now that's a mighty fine game!"  
Ribbon said, "I see the Rhythm Console has chosen you, Tsumugi. Now pick it up!"  
Tsumugi did so and said, "I've got this." She hit Up twice on the D-Pad, then Down twice, then Left, Right, Left, and Right, then B, A, and Start. All of a sudden, the screens turned a bright white at the top and red below.  
"PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
Tsumugi was promptly shielded by a barrier of red light. When it dissipated, she was dressed differently.  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
Upon finishing her transformation, Tsumugi found herself in awe at her costume. Similar to Hitomi's, but colored red, and with a few cosmetic differences (i.e. whereas he wore a leotard and skirt, she wore a top and shorts). Otherwise, their costumes were pretty much identical.  
"KAWAI~!" she exclaimed. "I never dreamed I would look as cute as Sailor Moon!"  
"That's one of my favorites, too!" Ribbon said. "And you do kind of look like her, with the blonde hair in twintails. But we gotta get down to business! There's a rampaging monster going about, and Hitomi's in danger!"  
"Oh! Thanks for reminding me!" Tsumugi exclaimed as she ran to where the Hebinodoku was rampaging. "As for you! Not only do you threaten my friends, but you also dare to make a mockery of the fine art of cheerleading!? I'll punish you!"  
The Hebinodoku laughed hard. "YOU IMITATE THOSE CUTE LITTLE GIRLS YOU SAW ON TELEVISION? YOU SILLY LITTLE GIRL, YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THEY ARE!"  
"But even those 'cute little girls' were not to be trifled with!" Tsumugi shouted. "That said, I demand you release my friend at once!"  
The Hebinodoku then launched into another mocking cheer. "SKIRT BOY AND YOUNGSTER GIRL SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S–"  
"Cork it, you!" Hitomi shouted. "I'm already a damsel in distress as it is! I don't have to put up with your mockery!"  
"And besides," Tsumugi continued, "We're just friends! And I'll show you what friends are for! CLUBS CUTTER!"  
Her twintails suddenly aimed themselves at both of the pom-pom creatures, firing lasers at them to force them to drop Hitomi. "You all right, mate?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Princess. But could Ribbon have just told me that Hebinodoku pairs had to be defeated together?"  
Weakened but still determined to crush Pretty Cure, the Hebinodoku charged towards Tsumugi, who managed to drop them both with a scissor kick that struck both. "Precision Baton."  
A red gymnastics club resembling a cross between a cheerleading baton and a magical girl's wand appeared in her right hand. She twirled it in front of her as she lifted her right leg in a passe, then threw it into the air as she performed a clockwise tiptoe turn. She then proceeded to do a backflip and caught the club with her right hand, posing on her tiptoes with her left arm stretched out to the side and her right stretched out in front of her.  
"PRETTY CURE PASSION PIROUETTE!"  
With these words, she launched into a series of multiple pirouettes, twirling her baton above her, in front of her, and to the side variously. Afterwards, she lowered herself and posed with her left leg outstretched and her right leg bent underneath her. Holding her club above her head, she unleashed a burst of light that hit both Hebinodoku, purifying them. She then stood back up and curtsied.  
Afterwards, she noticed a strange woman in the shadows, who glared at her silently before disappearing.  
In her hands appeared another Cure Chip. "What does this do?" she asked.  
Ribbon said, "Put it in the Rhythm Console, and it'll do something. The possibilities are limitless! You can produce decorations or atmospheric happenings or even disguise yourself!"  
Tsumugi said, "OK, I'm sold for sure."  
Suddenly, Hitomi paused with a worried look on his face. "Oh, crap!" he exclaimed. "I've got to get back to my game!"  
"Well, see you later!" Tsumugi said as she detransformed and picked up the stray pom-poms to return to her teammate, who by that point was wondering what had happened.  
"TWIRL TELEPORT!"

After checking to see that his upper arm was still intact ("Thank goodness my upper arm's still in one piece."), Hitomi retreated into the locker room and detransformed. He was once again wearing his baseball uniform.  
"Where the hell ya been, Mr. Ichinose?" the manager exploded. "I had to use a time out just to wait for you and came this close to swapping you out for Daniel!"  
"Long story," Hitomi said, "the short of it being I was helping a friend."  
"It's your turn to bat!" the manager said. "Show us what you're capable of!"  
Once at the plate, he swung and hit a single. The Tigers would go on to win the game.

Meanwhile, at Saeko's dance class at the Fukuda School of Dance, Yasu and Saeko were practicing a pas de deux. As they finished, one of Saeko's friends from Altair arrived with a strange object with the appearance of a handheld video game console.  
"Hello," she said. "Sorry for disturbing the class. Anyone good enough with video games to help me out with this?"  
Hikari, who was in the middle of a pas de deux with another girl, said, "I am, and I think Yasu and Saeko are, too."  
The girl said, "I found it north of here, and I couldn't get it to work. I was hoping maybe a friend could get it to work?"  
Yasu asked, "Is it out of batteries?"  
The girl said, "That's what I want to find out. Or perhaps it can only be operated by a single person?"  
Saeko asked, "Could I be the one to remove Excalibur from the stone where it lies?"  
The girl said, "Seems you know your Arthurian legends well. But which of you girls can pull the sword out of the stone?"  
All three of them stared at the handheld device in the girl's hand, wondering what to make of it.


	3. Electric Music to My Ears

_I'm Hitomi Ichinose, age 14. My adventure began when I was doing some last-minute birthday shopping for a friend of mine, Tsumugi Nikaido. There was this strange girl, and all of a sudden, I was this warrior called a Pretty Cure, and I soon learned my destiny is to save the universe from the machinations of Unpleasant Dreams, Inc. and its generals, the Nightmare Beauties._

_I'm Tsumugi Nikaido. I just turned 15. During cheerleading camp, my friend Hitomi came in dressed as a mahou shoujo, and he took on a pair of monstrous, nasty, and bipedal cheerleading pom-poms. I joined in the fight when he got taken by one of them, and I became his teammate as a Pretty Cure, fighting for friendship and justice!_  
_Oh, and you'll never believe what my BFF, Saeko Mitaka, told me happened during her ballet class that evening..._

"Sorry for disturbing the class," said the girl from Saeko's homeroom. "Anyone good enough with video games to help me out with this?"  
Hikari, who was in the middle of a pas de deux with another girl, said, "I am, and I think Yasu and Saeko are, too."  
The girl said, "I found it north of here, and I couldn't get it to work. I was hoping maybe a friend could get it to work?"  
Yasu asked, "Is it out of batteries?"  
The girl said, "That's what I want to find out. Or perhaps it can only be operated by a single person?"  
Saeko asked, "Could I be the one to remove Excalibur from the stone where it lies?"  
The girl said, "Seems you know your Arthurian legends well. But which of you girls can pull the sword out of the stone?"  
All three of them stared at the handheld device in the girl's hand, wondering what to make of it.

The next morning, Tsumugi was practicing her karate at home as was part of her daily morning ritual. Her cell phone rang. She set it to speaker.  
"How are you, Saeko?" she asked.  
"Tsumugi-chan!" Saeko exclaimed, almost excited. "You won't believe what happened last night!"  
"Tell me about it," Tsumugi said, "but speak clearly, as I'm presently in the middle of my karate practice."  
Saeko continued, "One of my friends from homeroom stopped by during my dance class, and she gave us a mysterious handheld device that wouldn't power up when she tried! Hikari and Yasu tried to turn it on, but to no avail. Then I turned it on successfully, but that was all I could do at the moment. But there's something about it, and I don't know what…"  
"You can tell me all about it once you get it figured out!" Tsumugi said.  
"I was planning on trying during the breaks between periods," Saeko said.  
"See you when I get to Altair!"  
Tsumugi hung up.

After eating breakfast and putting on her roller skates, Tsumugi, now in her rhythmic gymnastics clothes, skated out of Nikaido Manor and on to Altair Private Academy, almost on the other side of town.  
"G'day, mate!" she said as she stopped near Hitomi, who had been waiting for her as usual. "Good morning, Lisa," said he.  
"G'day, Ribbon," Tsumugi said as she saw Ribbon pop out of Hitomi's bag. "You'll never believe what happened with Saeko last night!"  
"Tell me about it," Hitomi said.  
"During her dance class, one of her homeroom classmates gave her a 3DS to work on. Apparently, the girl thought the batteries were dead. But Saeko could turn it on! Isn't that wonderful?"  
Ribbon asked, "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Tsumugi?"  
"Why?"  
"It could be a sign that she's on the team."  
Hitomi asked, "What does being able to turn on a 3DS with dead batteries have to do with it?"  
Ribbon said, "It may be that there were no batteries inside of the thing, but rather something else powering it. Something that also powers yours…"  
Reaching into his tunic's pocket, Hitomi pulled out his Rhythm Console. "I think I know what you're talking about."  
"Oi! Hitomi! See looks!"  
Yes, Tsumugi went full Australian on Hitomi, who didn't understand a word of what she had just said. Ribbon said, "I think she wants you to look over there."  
Once again, they saw Saeko practicing her ballet. Ribbon asked, "Wanna set the atmosphere?"  
"How?" Tsumugi asked.  
"Use the Cure Chip you found yesterday."  
Removing her Rhythm Console from her shorts pocket, Tsumugi swapped out the card already inside for the Cure Chip she had discovered the day before. "I like video games," she said, "so this should be a bloody piece of cake! Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start."  
Sakura petals appeared out of nowhere, flying around everyone. "May as well," Tsumugi said, "since we gotta keep in shape before our first big match."  
Tsumugi then pulled a ribbon out of her shorts pocket and started dancing with it as Hitomi watched. Ana and Itsuko walked by. "What's with Tsumugi?" Itsuko asked.  
Hitomi said, "Getting some early practice in before our rhythmic gymnastics class. The sakura breeze must've put her in the mood."  
Itsuko said, "I see."  
Ana said, "See you three in RG class."  
After they disappeared into the shoe locker area, the first bell rang. "Uh, girls," Hitomi said, "you might want to pay close attention to the time."  
Tsumugi suddenly stumbled and got tangled up in her ribbon. "Crikey, you're right!" she said. "We'd better get to homeroom! You too, Saeko! As Confucius say, time is money! Let's go!"

Meanwhile, in the pool area of Unpleasant Dreams, Inc., a strange teenager was practicing her synchronized swimming. Two older women walked in. One of them said, "Miss Anaconda, Cottonmouth the Terrible wants to see you right away."  
Anaconda the Swimmer, as she was known, emerged from the pool with a sour look on her face. "Frankly, Rattlesnake," she said, "I wouldn't be surprised, considering you and that sculpture-obsessed punk have both failed to capture the one citizen of the Realm of the Sun and the Moon who we know to be on Earth. The fact that this happened as I was practicing my synchronized swimming skills makes it even stupider! You, Rattlesnake, I should have Cottonmouth reassign you to Jupiter! And you, Basilisk, I should have Cottonmouth reassign you to Cleveland!"  
"NO! NOT CLEVELAND!" Basilisk shouted. "ANYTHING BUT THAT!"  
"Then I suggest an improvement from you the next time you're out on the field," Anaconda said. "In the meantime, I have to find out what Cottonmouth wants me to do this time around. Good day to you both."  
Once Anaconda was out of earshot, Basilisk said, "What an aquatic spore she is! And that pink swimsuit of hers… not very easy on the eyes!"  
Rattlesnake said, "I designed it."  
"Well, I'm certainly glad one of us can actually create something!"

Hitomi and Tsumugi's homeroom teacher, Tsubasa-sensei, was also their social studies teacher. He droned on about the early history of Japan.  
Tsumugi sat two seats to Hitomi's right, separated from him only by a childhood friend of hers, Izumi Suzuki. A total bookworm, Izumi wore the boys' uniform as an Altair student. Her BFF and Hitomi's baseball teammate, Yukari, sat right behind Hitomi. Apart from Hitomi and Tsumugi, there were four others in Class 1-L who were students in the rhythmic gymnastics section. Two were students of Class C, and the other two were students of Class E.  
Haruhi Honda, who was due to pitch for the Tigers the next day, sat directly to Tsumugi's right. "I heard what happened to Kitagawa during your cheerleading camp yesterday," he said. "That must be pretty rough, losing your pom-poms and then getting shaken and tossed by a giant walking pair of them… I thought that sort of stuff only happened in Tokyo?"  
Tsumugi said, "It's all right. Pretty Cure got it under control within minutes."  
"That's good to know," Haruhi said. "Kitagawa must be pretty relieved."  
"Why are you so concerned about her?" Tsumugi asked. "Is she your girlfriend?"  
Haruhi said, "You could say that. Oh, my granddaddy's going to Eagleland next week to try to get their chicken tax repealed. He says it's hurting the international business of his late, great dad's company."  
Tsumugi asked, "How do you think the unionists will react to an established automotive businessman making that appeal against the chicken tax?"  
"These union types are cowards," Haruhi boasted. "The negotiations will be short."  
Tsumugi rolled her eyes and asked, "Where have I heard that one before?"

After homeroom was PE. Boys wore blue pants, shorts, or bloomers, and girls wore pink shorts, bloomers, or skirted bloomers. As Hitomi was a rhythmic gymnastics student, he had to wear the girls' PE uniform. He and Saeko went with the skirted bloomers. Tsumugi went with the shorts. All three wore their pink rhythmic gymnastics tights with their PE clothes.  
This time, the activity was basketball. What Saeko lacked in athletic skill, she made up for in grace. Her ballet training was very noticeable, and also key to getting past the defense. She managed to get a basket in within seconds of being called in.  
"Who knew Saeko was so good at basketball?" Tsumugi asked.  
Hitomi, who took a drink of water after having been substituted out in favor of Saeko, said, "I certainly didn't."  
Tsumugi turned to Hikari, who also opted to wear shorts with her PE uniform, and asked, "Wanna bet the basketball club will hound Saeko to sign up with them shortly?"  
Hikari said, "Bound to happen after Golden Week comes and goes. Hitomi, Masako, and Akiko aren't the only rhythmic gymnasts on a sports club, after all."  
"Hey! Is cheerleading not considered an actual sport?" Tsumugi shouted, clearly offended that Hikari had left Chiyo out.  
Blushing in embarrassment, Hikari said, "Perhaps I've been watching too much high school movies..."

Right before rhythmic gymnastics class was music class, the one general education class apart from PE which Tsumugi and Saeko shared. Tsumugi was also the only one in 1-L who went to that class. As it was Thursday, the class time was devoted to piano lessons.  
"This will be a very easy piece for you if you learn the chords", the teacher said as he handed each student copies of a score. "Be sure to use the correct fingering."  
There was one student in particular who had a noticeable talent. Her name was Haruna Ongaku, and she was a student in Rhythmic Gymnastics Class A. Her father before her was renowned for his musical talent, and she wanted to surpass him in skill and become a perfect musician.  
As she was playing, a fluid seeped into the music room under the closed door. It crept slowly to the grand piano where the teacher was seated. As Tsumugi noticed its independent movement, she said, "I have a bloody bad feeling about this."  
She was right to be worried, because no sooner did that fluid touch the grand piano than it mutated into a Hebinodoku. Tsumugi suddenly shouted, "EVERYONE TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM! THIS IS A REALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION! REMAIN CALM, AND PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION! TRAINED PROFESSIONALS ARE COMING TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION!"  
Glancing at the door as she moved the keyboards aside, Tsumugi said, "Any minute now, Hitomi..."

As it turned out, Hitomi did sense it. He had gone to art class with five of his classmates from 1-L at the same time Tsumugi was having her music lesson. He stopped what he was painting and said, "Excuse me, Sensei. I'll be back."  
He then charged towards the music room at full speed, removing his Rhythm Console and hitting Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, and Start in that order. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!" he shouted.  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
He was surprised to find himself in the music room at the close of his transformation. "Hitomi? Is it you?" Saeko asked.  
"Who else would it be?" Hitomi asked as he twirled.  
"KAWAI~!" Saeko squealed. "So you're the trained professional who's going to save us from this creature?"  
Hitomi was briefly confused. "I guess," he said as Tsumugi removed her Rhythm Console from her shorts pocket and entered Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, and Start in that order. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!" she shouted.  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
Tsumugi glanced at Saeko and said, "Yep, I too am one of these 'trained professionals'. I guess I'd better hop to it!  
"As for you!" she continued, turning towards the Hebinodoku. "You dare disrespect the fine art of music by unleashing Trouble Clef upon a group of music students? You have angered Haydn, the father of music!"  
Ribbon, who had shown up just after Hitomi had transformed, said, "Even I know the father of music is actually Bach!"  
"Don't be such a bloody know-it-all! Boo boo boo!" Tsumugi pouted. Returning her attention to the Hebinodoku, she continued, "Anyway... I'll punish you!"  
"TWIRL BEAM!" Hitomi shouted as he fired laser beams from his eyes, hitting the Hebinodoku, which reeled briefly from the attack before biting at him. "I'm not afraid of you, Mad Piano! TWIRL TORNADO!"  
A whirlwind sent the Hebinodoku flying backwards. "Your turn, Princess," Hitomi said.  
"You can count on me!" Tsumugi said. "CLUBS PUNCH!"  
As the Hebinodoku and Tsumugi charged towards each other, she balled her right hand into a fist and punched at the Hebinodoku. Unfortunately for her, the Hebinodoku managed to get the better of her and knock down both her and Cure Twirl. It then started towards Saeko, who was backed towards the wall in fear. Suddenly, it moved backwards. Saeko asked, "What's going on?" She then screamed in terror as she realized that it was charging up energy. Both Hitomi and Tsumugi sensed it and got back up just in time to take the full blast of the attack, severely weakening both of them.  
"TSUMUGI! Tsumugi, please! Wake up!" Saeko shouted frantically. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her leg, and she gasped before realizing it was Tsumugi. "You still have your 3DS on you?" she asked.  
Saeko reached into her bag, which she had set nearby, and pulled out the yellow 3DS, which, as it turned out, was a Rhythm Console. "Press the buttons as I repeat them to you," Tsumugi said. "Up. Up. Down. Down. Left. Right. Left. Right. B. A. Start!"  
Hitomi and Tsumugi suddenly felt their strength return to them as a barrier of yellow light enveloped Saeko. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
When the barrier dissipated, Saeko was dressed differently, wearing a yellow and white dress similiar to Hitomi's costume, except it was a one-piece costume and had a puffier skirt.  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
All three of them posed together for the first time. "Take to the floor!" shouted Hitomi.  
Tsumugi added, "With power and grace!"  
The trio shouted in unison, "YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
Still the Hebinodoku continued its biting rampage. "What am I going to do?" Saeko asked fearfully.  
"Use your ballet training!" Tsumugi said. "I have great faith that you can do this!"  
"Thanks," Saeko said before charging towards the Hebinodoku. She ended up doing something the creature didn't expect: "SPHERE KICK!"  
With a single grand battement, Saeko did some serious damage to the Hebinodoku. But still it pressed on, knocking Saeko backwards. As she opened her eyes, she saw bolts of lightning appear in her hands. "What happened?" she asked.  
Ribbon said, "It's your purifying power having awakened!"  
"P-Purifying power?"  
"Yes!" Ribbon shouted. "Show us what you got, Saeko!"  
Saeko nodded. She was still a bit scared, but she wasn't going to let her fear stop her. "Electric Ball!"  
A black ball appeared in Saeko's right hand. She let it roll down her arm, her back, and her left leg while performing an arabesque. She kicked it as soon as it touched her foot, and it bounced on the ground as she dribbled it. She pushed it under her right leg as she performed a counter-clockwise pirouette en dedans, dribbling it once more and catching it with her right hand as she performed a plie sous-sus, posing with her right arm raised and outstretched and her left circled in front of her.  
"PRETTY CURE ROLLING THUNDER!"  
With these words, she sent the electrically charged ball bouncing towards the Hebinodoku, electrocuting and purifying it, after which she curtsied.  
"Darn it all!" Anaconda shouted, having watched the whole affair from the hallway while disguised as a student. "I'll drown you yet, mark my words!"  
With these words, she disappeared.  
All three Cures promptly detransformed. They were back in their respective rhythmic gymnastics clothes. "Well, I'd better get back to art class," Hitomi said. "See you at rhythmic gym!"  
He immediately left the music room as Saeko noticed a Cure Chip appearing in her hand. "What's this?" she asked.  
Tsumugi said, "As the talking rabbit told me, this is a Cure Chip. It's a pretty useful and versatile object that has many functions, up to and including disguise."  
"Kawai~!" Saeko said.

"Ready, Saeko?"  
Tsumugi was pumped up before rhythmic gymnastics class. "What for?" Saeko asked.  
"Hajichi-dachi!" Tsumugi suddenly shouted. "Ready?"  
Saeko slowly got into position. Tsumugi suddenly thrust her fist at Saeko, who used an inside block and countered with a hammer fist, which Tsumugi deflected with a high block. Saeko also used a palm strike to block Tsumugi's next move. Saeko's punch was then blocked by Tsumugi's X block. For Tsumugi's next strike, Saeko simply evaded it.  
"You're getting bloody good at this!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "This could help you as a Pretty Cure, needless to say. Ballet isn't the only skill you should attempt as a Pretty Cure, after all."  
Saeko asked, "Shouldn't we get to class?"  
Tsumugi looked at the clock and said, "Crikey, you're right! Let's go!"  
With Saeko in tow, Tsumugi ran excitedly to the dance building for rhythmic gymnastics class.


	4. You Make Me Wanna Shout

_I'm Hitomi Ichinose, age 14. My adventure began when I was doing some last-minute birthday shopping for a friend of mine, Tsumugi Nikaido. Upon meeting this strange girl who can turn into a bunny rabbit, all of a sudden I found my life turned upside-down as I became this warrior called a Pretty Cure, destined to save the universe from Unpleasant Dreams, Inc._

_I'm Tsumugi Nikaido. I just turned 15. I joined Hitomi's quest one fateful day when a pair of cheerleading pom-poms got mutated into monsters, after which I dedicated myself to fighting for friendship and justice as a Pretty Cure!_

_I'm Saeko Mitaka, age 15. During ballet class one night, one of my homeroom classmates gave me a handheld video game device to figure out. All of a sudden, it turned on, but that's as far as I could get until the grand piano in the music room got mutated into a monster. I volunteered to become a Pretty Cure when it was clear my friends wouldn't be enough to defeat it. And was it ever shocking! Still, I found myself enjoying my new role, especially considering the perks of it, including that pretty dress I get to wear while fighting._

_Take to the floor!_  
_With power and grace!_  
_YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!_

"LOOK OUT!"  
Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko were being chased around the perimeter of the school by a trio of students from the American football section. "Even I don't want to take on this bloody band of Chargin' Chucks!" Tsumugi shouted. "These thugs look pretty violent!"  
"What did you expect!?" Hitomi responded in exasperation. "American football happens to be right up there with ice hockey in terms of roughness!"  
Saeko screamed, "WHY ARE THEY CHASING US?"  
Hitomi shouted, "All I did was bump into one of them completely by accident!"  
"You WHAT!?" Tsumugi shouted.  
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!"  
Everyone froze at the sound of that fourth female voice. A tall girl wearing a green camisole dress that was more suited for idol duties than for school had appeared. Hitomi and Tsumugi recognized her at once. "Ana?"  
"Who the hell are you?" the bully leader demanded.  
"I saw the whole thing," Ana said. "All that happened was the boy in the pink dress accidentally bumping into you three football hooligans. There was no indication of pre-planned aggression from either him or his two lady friends, and yet you're getting on their cases as though they were part of a rival gang? You gotta be kidding me!"  
The bully leader walked up to her and said, "Look, you may be just another cute face around here, but you ain't gettin' away with this!"  
"Just another cute face?"  
Clearly offended, Ana knocked him out. "Why, you...!" another of the bullies shouted, charging at Ana before she floored him too.  
Number three was too scared to take his chances. All he said before leaving with his tail between his legs was "THAT'S IT! I'M OUT OF HERE!"  
Saeko also recognized Ana, but a bit more vaguely. "You're from my class, aren't you?" she said. "Anyway, thank you for saving us."  
"Hoo boy!" Tsumugi said. "Didn't know you knew karate, too!"  
"Actually," Ana said, "it's judo. I learned it from my older brother in my spare time. Anyway, are you three all right?"  
"Yeah," Hitomi said. "But shouldn't we be in class soon?"  
The first bell rang. "Correttamondo," Ana said. "Hurry up, or we'll be late!"

Meanwhile, in the pool area of Unpleasant Dreams, Inc., Anaconda the Swimmer was practicing her synchronized swimming. An older woman threw a nearby electric heater into the water, literally blowing her out of it.  
"EEEEEEEEEEYOUCH!" Anaconda screamed in pain. "What is going on, that you would try to kill me? I thought there'd be more honor among us who signed up for this?"  
"I was just trying to get your attention," the woman said. "That said, we're all disappointed in you. Basilisk is even considering reporting you for threatening to have her reassigned to Cleveland. God knows what goes on over there..."  
"I almost had them, Boa!"  
"Frankly, Anaconda, I don't give a damn," Boa replied callously. "I think you should leave the next job to me."  
"But–!"  
"No buts!" Boa shouted. "I'm taking over from here, so there!"  
Anaconda groaned, "Meanie~!"

Meanwhile, Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko were all gathered together for lunch break for the first time and were looking for a place outside to settle down. Over in one spot was Ana, silently eating her lunch with Itsuko. The trio approached them silently.  
"G'day," Tsumugi said. "I was actually wondering why you and Itsuko have always been together, so I wanted to talk to you about it."  
Ana's face suddenly turned as red as a beet. Itsuko giggled and said, "You make it sound as though we're a couple."  
Having recovered from her embarrassment in record time, Ana regained her composure and said, "Actually, it's nothing like that. For years, Itsuko has been the only friend I ever had! From my duties as an idol for Kokoro Agency to rumors about me being violent, I haven't really had the luxury of friends."  
"That's not true!" Hitomi replied. "You have Itsuko."  
"Yes," Ana said, "but that's just one friend!"  
"But it's a single friend that counts," Saeko said. "And we'd like to be your friends, too, if you'd let us."  
Ana said, "Sure. As a matter of fact, why don't you three have a seat right here?"  
"Gladly," Tsumugi said.  
Upon seeing what was inside of Tsumugi's lunchbox, Ana's eyes widened. "That tastes so delicious!"  
"Want a sample?" Tsumugi asked.  
"Very much!" Ana replied.  
"Then have a bite!"  
Removing an egg roll from the lunch box, Ana ate it. "DELICIOUS!" she shouted. "Your mother must be an excellent cook."  
"Actually," Tsumugi said, "I made it myself."  
Itsuko glanced at Tsumugi with a mildly surprised look on her face. "Even a genius learns something new every day," she mused to herself as they continued to eat their lunch.

Later that day, Hitomi was playing against the Saiph Red Sox. It was the ninth inning when he stepped up to the plate at that moment to face off against the Red Sox reliever, Monty Winslow. This was Winslow's second spring training game that season, and already he was making a name for himself as a headhunter.  
Hitomi fouled on the first pitch and had to take another turn at the plate. Winslow decided to taunt him ("You think you're a man? You're built like a ballet dancer!") and deliberately threw his next pitch at his southern region. Seeing this, Hitomi spun quickly so the ball hit his left hip instead and took his base without saying a word.  
"God, I hate that punk!" said the Tigers' British shortstop, Roger Dayton, as he walked to the plate. "He's no better than that Astro tosser who plunked Yukari a few days ago!"  
Roger swung twice. The first was a foul ball, and the second was sprayed down the left side, finding its way into the clutches of Red Sox shortstop Hiroshi Osaka. Within seconds, both Hitomi and Roger died on the ensuing double play.  
"It's of no consequence," Hitomi told a frustrated Roger as they returned to the Tigers dugout to prepare for the bottom of the ninth. "We already have a good enough lead against the Red Sox, so if we hold them enough, it's a sure victory."  
Sure enough, a double and a single were all the Red Sox got at the bottom of the inning, and Yukari made the game-winning catch, bringing the Tigers' spring training record that year to 3-2.

After the spring training game, Hitomi was just outside of the gate when Ana intercepted him. "Hi, Hitomi. I've got a concert at 9:00 if you're interested. Here's the ticket. The concert happens to be rather close to your neighborhood, so distance shouldn't be a problem."  
Hitomi took the ticket and said, "Thanks."  
Ana said, "I'll be looking forward to seeing you, Tsumugi, and Saeko there."  
She then ran off in one direction. Hitomi whipped out his mobile and called Tsumugi. "Where to, mate?" she asked.  
Hitomi said, "Meet me at the dojo, and bring Saeko along."

Once they were all gathered, Ribbon popped out of Hitomi's bag. "Ciao!" she shouted. "Saeko, did you bring the Cure Chip we found yesterday?"  
"Yes," Saeko said.  
"There's actually three of them, all coded to specific variants of the same disguise," Ribbon said. "You will find your name on yours, and the same goes for Hitomi and Tsumugi."  
Saeko gave Hitomi and Tsumugi their respective Cure Chips. All three inserted them into their Rhythm Consoles and entered the usual key sequence. "PRETTY CURE! IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION!"  
As soon as the light cleared, they were all dressed in similar outfits. Hitomi's was a simple green T-shirt and jeans, Tsumugi's was a green puffy-sleeved top and jean shorts, and Saeko's was a green puffy-sleeved top and a jean skirt. Both Tsumugi and Saeko wore white tights with their outfits, and whereas Hitomi wore sneakers, Tsumugi and Saeko both wore green clogs with ribbons tied around their ankles. "If you're going to go to an Ana Yotsuya concert," Ribbon said, "you'll want to look like someone who's a fan of Ana Yotsuya. They like to wear green, after all. And the shoes? Ana really loves to wear that style in her performances, and lots of her female fans tend to imitate it."  
Saeko was ecstatic. The way the ribbons were tied reminded her of the shoes she wore to her dance class. To Tsumugi, however, the ribbons on her shoes reminded her of the shoes worn by Madoka Kaname, the title character of another magical girl series she enjoyed–and it wasn't your typical magical girl series, either. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Tsumugi asked.  
Hitomi said, "You're right, there may be a long line. I heard Ana's a real popular idol singer, so let's hurry on over to the Amphitheater!"  
Unknown to them, Boa was watching from the shadows. "Watch out, Pretty Cure," she sneered. "There's a new snake in town."

As Hitomi had correctly predicted, the Amphitheater, as it was colloquially known, was packed. Fans wearing green, both male and female, were gathered for this concert. For Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko, it was their first time. Izumi and Yukari, from Hitomi and Tsumugi's homeroom class, were also present. "Oh, hi there!" said the raven-haired meganekko. "I didn't expect to see you three here."  
"Can't say the same for you, mate," Tsumugi said. "Even when we went to that girls' school together back in junior high, you and Yukari liked to talk about Ana Yotsuya. I figured I ought to check out one of her concerts myself, so I could see what all the hype was about."  
"I remember those days perfectly well," Izumi said. "Best thing about it was that unlike most girls' schools, there was no uniform, so you could wear whatever you wanted, so long as it squared with the dress code."  
Tsumugi said, "Yeah, the dress code was part of what attracted me; for example, you didn't have to wear a skirt if you didn't want to. Of course, if you wore shorts, you also had to wear pantyhose, but I was fine with that."  
"I remember you were good at football," Izumi said. "You were also good with your studies, but I was at the top of the class."  
Yukari said, "Remember the last festival we had at that school? We all did a production of Romeo and Juliet."  
"I remember," Tsumugi said. "I was a tree, you were Romeo, and Saeko was Juliet. I don't quite recall who Izumi was, though."  
Izumi said, "I was Benvolio."  
A low rumble suddenly sounded. Yukari said, "That's Ana's cue!"  
Sure enough, the rumble increased in volume, and an explosion of light followed accompanied by smoke. Ana, wearing a green tutu typical of idol concert fashion, emerged from the smoke and walked coolly to the microphone. Numerous others, all wearing color-coded tutus, also emerged from the smoke. "Who are those other girls?" Hitomi asked.  
Izumi said, "They're part of her idol group. It's more like an idol rock band, really, but Kokoro Agency wanted something more than just a traditional group like AKB48 or Morning Musume."  
At that point, Hitomi groaned in pain. "It's his hip," Yukari said. "I watched from the dugout as that Red Sox jerk nailed him and almost robbed him of his manhood."  
After the opening song, Ana proceeded with the introductions.  
"As you all know, I'm Ana Yotsuya. I see there are some of you who have never been to one of my concerts before. So, I feel it right that I introduce to you my bandmates, who with me form the idol group Mach Five.  
"She may not dress as flashily as the rest of us, but she certainly holds her own with her Stratocaster! Ladies and germs, our Fender-bender of a guitarist, Akiko Akashiya!  
"Let's face it: our bassist is a boy wearing a pink tutu. Don't be fooled, though; when he isn't performing with us, he pursues interests typical of most boys his age, chief among them old shonen programs such as Speed Racer. In fact, he's the one who came up with our name. My and Mach Five's kid brother, Akira Yotsuya!  
"This Italian lady with the tinted glasses is so smart, she was fluent in Japanese even before her family moved here. And in case you weren't aware of the origin of our stage costumes, she has a ballet background, and she designed our costumes. Of course, I too had a hand, and I wanted them to look more like something idols would wear. Anyway, let's give a warm benvenuta to our keyboardist, Angela Deodato!  
"Last, but far from least, is our drummer. Her hair may be as gold as her tutu, but she's no dummy; in fact, you could say she's the Lars Ulrich of idol rock! A round of applause for Atsuko Kurosawa!"  
Screaming suddenly sounded from among the audience. Ana recognized it not as typical fangirl screaming, but a sign of clear and present danger.  
"Cuh-RI-key!" Tsumugi shouted in shock as she saw a thick boa constrictor strangling a fangirl from just ten feet away. She pushed her way through the crowd and delivered a powerful karate chop, striking the snake. "Who sent you this time?"  
The snake started on her and snarled, "I did. Who needs a Hebinodoku this late at night? I, Boa the Constrictor, am extremely confident in my combat abilities!"  
Meanwhile, evacuation had started. "Where are you two going?" Izumi asked.  
Hitomi said, "A human being vs. a thick, talking boa constrictor! Even Tsumugi knows her limits! Saeko and I are going to help her!"  
Yukari shouted, "Don't get squeezed!"  
Ana, meanwhile, was evacuating her bandmates, but Akira, who was into the martial arts, stayed behind. "Don't worry about me, sister!" Akira said. "I can fix that snake with my eyes closed!"  
Saeko gasped as she saw Akira running towards Boa. "The boy's using himself as live bait!"  
"How brave!" Tsumugi said.  
"In any case," Ribbon said, "you three need to back him up!"  
All three got their Rhythm Consoles out and entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
Saeko positioned herself to cover Akira as Boa unexpectedly started towards Ana, who ran up to the Cures in an attempt to question them about what had happened. Seeing this, Hitomi ran a few steps backwards for a long-range attack. A baseball appeared in his hand. He immediately performed a windup. "TWIRL STRIKE!"  
The fastball nailed Boa, who immediately turned her attention to him. "Yeah, Hitomi! The good old art of bloody misdirection!" Tsumugi shouted as she ran towards Boa. "CLUBS KICK!" she shouted as she hit Boa with a roundhouse kick. However, Boa simply swatted her away with her tail.  
Saeko took aim as she put a V-sign in front of her eyes. "Sph-Sph-SPHERE BEAM!" she shouted, sending gold laser beams at Boa, who then grabbed and started to constrict Hitomi. Seeing this, Ana decided she had had enough.  
"STOP!" she roared. "This has gone far enough! Normally, I wouldn't be sure who to root for, but I definitely wouldn't be rooting for the snake that started this disruption! This was supposed to be just another concert, but no thanks to you, it has turned into a warzone!"  
Boa shouted, "WHO CARES ABOUT MUSIC? TRADITIONAL POP OR ROCK, I WANT ALL MUSIC TO BE THE SAME!"  
Ana stopped, as though she had been punched in the gut. "You terrorist…"  
That was when the green light appeared before her and started off in one direction. As Ribbon followed her, she shouted, "Keep my kid brother safe!"  
Ana followed the light until it stopped over some bushes. Finding a nearby pipe conveniently lying around and big enough for her, she put it over her to shield her tutu from the bushes. She picked up the Rhythm Console, emerged from the bushes, and removed the pipe from over her. "I never want to have to do that again," she said, "so I hope that trip was worth it."  
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, and Start. As soon as she pressed those buttons in that order, a green light enveloped her. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
When the barrier of light dissipated, she was dressed differently, now wearing dark green tights over a lighter green leotard, a green showgirl skirt, and tall white boots.  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
With the help of Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko, Akira was able to hold his own against Boa until his sister returned. He could tell his sister was back, because she had hit him with ultrasonic waves that only the snake could hear ("STOP YOUR SHRIEKING!").  
"I'm back, kid," Ana said, "and I'm ready to join the fight myself. Stand back, this could cut you. Razor Hoop!"  
A green hoop with razor-sharp edges appeared in Ana's hand. She let the hoop roll along her shoulders with the blades retracted, then twirled it from hand to hand and threw it into the air. She froze it briefly by doing a grand jete right through it, and then caught it before it hit the ground, posing on her tiptoes with her left hand on her hip and her right arm outstretched in front of her and to her right.  
"PRETTY CURE OPEN CIRCLE!"  
She threw the hoop like a boomerang, the blades emerging just before the hoop struck Boa, grazing her, and retracting as the hoop returned to Ana, who caught it and curtsied.  
"Ugh… I'm going to have to heal up for now. But I'll try a new strategy next time!" Boa snarled before teleporting out of the Amphitheater.  
After the Cures detransformed, Ana found a Cure Chip in her hands. However, she had no time to wonder where it came from; she had a show to get on with. So she put it in one of her socks and, looking around the Amphitheater, called out, "It's all right, everyone! The danger's past!"  
Seeing everyone return, Ana returned to the stage with Akira and asked, "Where were we?"  
The concert resumed, and fun was had by all that night.


	5. Ice Ice Pretty Cure

_I'm Hitomi Ichinose. My adventure began during some last-minute birthday shopping for my friend Tsumugi Nikaido, when I encountered a strange girl and became one of the legendary warriors, Pretty Cure, destined to save the universe from Unpleasant Dreams, Inc._

_I'm Tsumugi Nikaido. I joined Hitomi's quest when a cheerleading camp I was attending was disrupted by a monster. After that, I dedicated myself to fighting for friendship and justice!_

_I'm Saeko Mitaka. One night, a homeroom classmate of mine walked into my ballet class and gave me a handheld video game device she couldn't get to work. I could, but I couldn't do much with it until my music class the next day got disrupted by another monster. When my two friends Hitomi and Tsumugi were failing against it, I decided to step in and make my electrifying debut._

_I'm Ana Yotsuya. I joined up when some creepy snake woman disrupted a concert being performed by my idol group, Mach Five. Fortunately, my kid brother was able to hold his own until I became Cure Hoop, the Pretty Cure of Courage._

_Take to the floor!_  
_With power and grace!_  
_YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!_

"It's Cure Chip time in Dream City!"  
"Not so bloody loud, Ribbon!" Tsumugi said in embarrassment. "Anyway, Ana, did you bring the Cure Chip that appeared during yesterday's concert?"  
Ana said, "I did."  
Pulling out her Rhythm Console, she inserted the Cure Chip to produce a hairbrush. "Come on," she said! "Style my hair!"  
Ana did so, and the result looked marvelous. Tsumugi said, "You style hair better than you can cook, or so I hear… oh, Saeko! Glad you could join us!"  
This time around, Saeko was able to finish her daily ballet practice outside of the shoe locker fast enough to join Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Ana in waiting for Itsuko. "I heard that you're good at basketball," Ana said.  
Saeko blushed with modesty and replied, "I'm not that good…"  
Ana said, "Well, you'd probably be at my level. I too just got started with basketball. In junior high, I was more of a footballer."  
"Just like me!" Tsumugi said.  
"Come to think of it," Ana said, "I do remember facing off against your school numerous times."  
Tsumugi said, "I remember very well. Your team wore those unmistakable Lincoln green jerseys, as if we were facing off against Robin Hood's Merry Ladies. My teammates and I were identifiable by the dark red pantyhose we wore under our red and white uniforms."  
Ana said, "Of all the girls I faced on any football field, I think you and your teammates were the only ones wearing pantyhose as part of your team's uniform."  
"Hey, I think the dress code of Nishi Public School for Girls had something to do with it," Tsumugi said. "Oh, here comes that distinctive-looking Fifth Avenue."  
Out stepped Itsuko. "Good morning, Hitomi. Good morning, Tsumugi. Good morning, Saeko. Good morning, Ana."  
Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko curtsied as they and Ana said, "Good morning."

"Safe to say she had it coming," Cottonmouth said. "What did she expect when she tried to fight without the protection of a Hebinodoku?"  
Basilisk said, "Send me back to the field, Lady President. I've been training hard since that damn Cure Twirl character beat me a few days ago, and I think things will be different next time around if everyone involved fights fairly enough."  
"You seem to be quite the sport," Cottonmouth said. "I admire that. But will it be of any help to you? Remember, Cure Twirl thrashed your last Hebinodoku in a fair fight."  
"He may have been training a bit harder since then, knowing that I would," Basilisk remarked.  
"Or he could have gained some new friends in the interim, Basilisk."  
"Say what!?"  
"Now, he leads his own gang of four, himself included. Can you handle them?"  
Basilisk chuckled and said, "At the rate I've been training, I just might."

As always, the rhythmic gymnasts of Class G had a ballet lesson early on in the class, and as always, Coach Nashton led that part of the class. The bespectacled sensei in a black pantsuit was inspecting them once again for proper posture and proper turnout.  
"Miss Hisakawa," she said, "I see you're taking my advice to heart. Remember, there's a time and place for everything, including being all pigeon-toed, and this isn't the time nor the place for that. Miss Murasaki, I'm glad to see you're starting to show restraint here. Miss Yukihiro, remember what I said about arm movement earlier. Thank you. Miss Mitaka, good work as always. Miss Nikaido, you look like you've gotten the hang of it. Mr. Ichinose… Mr. Ichinose?"  
Hitomi's hip had started bothering him just as they were starting with the tendus. Tsumugi heard him groan in pain and briefly broke formation to get closer to him and put his hip back in place with a karate chop. "Feeling better, mate?" she asked as she put both hands in her shorts pockets.  
"Yes," said he. "Thanks, Princess."  
"That, by the way, is an example of incorrect first aid," Coach Nashton said. "It's called a karate chop."  
"Spare me the first aid tips," Tsumugi said just before she returned to her place and picked up where she had left off. "He's all right now."  
Coach Nashton looked around and asked, "Where were we?"  
Then she noticed what Ana was doing. "Miss Yotsuya, you're stretching your leg a bit too far!"  
That was when Ana noticed that her leg was stretching a few inches further than those of her classmates. "You do see, don't you, that we've not gotten to learning the grand battement yet?"  
Ana said, "I understand."  
Adjusting her glasses, Coach Nashton said, "Thank you."

After school let out for the day, Hitomi and Tsumugi met with Ana upon her invitation outside of the Godai mansion. "Too bad Saeko couldn't come," Tsumugi said, "but then again, this is one of two days of the week where she has her ballet class at Madame Fukuda's."  
Hitomi asked, "Why did you invite us over to visit your friend, Ana?"  
Ana replied, "Any friend of mine, I believe, should be acquainted enough with Itsuko. I understand why Saeko couldn't be present today, but she has plenty of time tomorrow, right?"  
"Yeah!" Tsumugi said. "Tomorrow's Sunday, after all."  
Hitomi looked at her confused. She explained, "Altair isn't the only school in the area with a six-day week; Nishi Public School for Girls was another such school."  
Ana looked at her wristwatch and said, "She's late. Must be one of her student council meetings… yeah, it definitely is it! I remember her telling me earlier that the student council would take some time after school to organize the first dance of the year."  
Tsumugi heard a familiar engine in the distance, steadily growing louder. "I'd recognise that Fifth Avenue from a mile away!" she exclaimed, and indeed, the Fifth Avenue limousine showed up with Itsuko in tow. The gate opened, and Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Ana followed the limousine in. Itsuko got out as soon as the limo stopped, and she was surprised to see Hitomi and Tsumugi there with Ana. "Pardon the intrusion, milady," Tsumugi said in an unusually formal-sounding voice, "but your friend Ana invited us to accompany her."  
Itsuko asked, "What happened to your accent? You're starting to sound like one of my maids."  
Tsumugi was confused. Ana said, "One of the maids on the family's staff is a foreigner of British extraction. Specifically, she hails from Oxford."  
"And was educated at Headington School," Itsuko said. "She's one of the newer additions to the staff, having joined last year. In any case, Miss Nikaido, you usually sound more like you're from Australia than from Oxford."  
Tsumugi said, "My mother was born and raised in Adelaide before relocating to Dream City following the Seoul Olympics. I inherited my accent from her. Oddly enough, my younger brother didn't."  
As Itsuko opened the door, she said, "My staff will be attending to your needs, whatever they may be, during your stay."

Some time later, Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Ana were seated at the dinner table, waiting for Itsuko to appear. The head butler, Ozuki, said, "Itsuko should be finished with her lesson soon. Less than a minute, I believe."  
Just then, Itsuko appeared, wearing a parochial uniform consisting of a dark blue blazer and waistcoat worn over a light blue shirt, a blue neck ribbon, a blue checkered skirt, black tights, and black Mary Janes. "I recognise that!" Tsumugi said. "That's the same uniform my friend Yukari wears as a student at Altair, except the neck ribbon's red."  
Itsuko said, "I happen to prefer blue. All students wear the Altair uniform at some point, even if they are of the rhythmic gymnastics or the American football side. There are certain days where all students wear the regular uniform, including Picture Day, the last day of school before Golden Week. I see you are already wearing yours, Hitomi. But isn't that the girls' uniform?"  
Hitomi said, "Personally, whether I wear boys' clothes or girls' clothes depends on what I feel like. It certainly affected which uniform I selected upon enrolling."  
Tsumugi said, "I prefer the boys' uniform myself. You should see me rocking it sometime, mate."  
"I think I should wait until Picture Day," Hitomi replied. "As Confucius say, there's a time and place for everything."  
"There it is again," Ana said. "Confucius say this, Confucius say that. Since when was prefacing philosophies with 'Confucius say' so damn popular? Pardon my language."  
"Crikey, who knows? Anyway," Tsumugi said, "I don't feel like my team's complete."  
Itsuko paused. "Your… team?"  
"I'll fess up," Hitomi said. "My friends and I… we're an elite force dedicated to protecting the Earth from the forces of evil."  
Itsuko chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."  
Hitomi removed Ribbon from his bag. "You don't believe us? Right, well, I'll show you something you won't believe."  
Itsuko stared at Ribbon. "What a cute little stuffed toy," she said.  
Ribbon suddenly opened her mouth in irritation. "I am not a stuffed toy, mademoiselle!"  
Itsuko said, "I didn't know you knew French, Hitomi."  
"Hey, now," Tsumugi said, "are you insinuating that Hitomi's into the art of ventriloquism?"  
"Chill, Red," Ana said. "Itsuko, let's talk about it after dinner."

After dinner, Ana followed Itsuko to the roof of the mansion. "Itsuko," she said. "I think you should give this some serious thought."  
Itsuko said, "I would, but I'm unfortunately busy with other stuff, such as ballet, aikido, my student council duties…"  
Ana asked, "Do you have any free time?"  
Itsuko sighed and said, "Only on Sundays. Anyway, isn't the sky so nice at this hour?"  
Ana did a quick double-take. "All I see is a darkening sky where white spots are starting to become more and more visible," she said.  
"That, and the moon is its usual color, and not red like it was Monday night," Itsuko said. "Know why the moon turns red on occasion?"  
Ana said, "No."  
"Eclipses. One just happened earlier this week."  
Ana was amazed. "You sure know your astronomy," she said. "All I know is how to sing, dance, play musical instruments, throw people to the ground, and a few sports with spherical objects. I can't even cook!"  
Itsuko said, "I too was a novice at cooking once, as was Tsumugi. We all have to start somewhere."  
Ana said, "I suppose you're right."  
Suddenly, they heard screaming. "What the hell was that?" Ana asked.  
Itsuko said, "Sounds like one of my family's staff is in trouble!"  
Ana said, "I'll go check it out. Don't come down until it's safe."  
With these words, Ana departed and pulled out her Rhythm Console, joining Hitomi and Tsumugi downstairs. As it turned out, numerous staff members had been turned to stone. "Basilisk…" Hitomi said, as if the name itself was a profanity.  
He and Tsumugi weren't slow to remove their Rhythm Consoles. All three entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"

Meanwhile, Saeko, back home from her dance class, felt her Rhythm Console vibrate. She picked it up and jumped out the window, landing safely on the canopy below. Going carefully through the garden, she left, running towards where her Rhythm Console was vibrating. Upon reaching Itsuko's house, she entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
"You're late! PENALTY!" Tsumugi shouted upon seeing Saeko. She then chuckled and added, "Sorry, I couldn't resist."  
"Don't mention it!" Saeko said.  
"As for you!" Tsumugi shouted, turning to the Hebinodoku. "How dare you turn the Godai family staff to stone!? They all mean as much to our friend Itsuko as do her often-absent parents, and they teach her just as much! Are they worth more as sculptures than as living beings that have proven to be invaluable to her? I'll punish you!"  
The Hebinodoku charged at Tsumugi, who tried to punch it. She missed, and it got her in the arm. The petrifaction was quick and painless.  
"Why, you…!" Hitomi shouted. "TWIRL TELEPORT!"  
The Hebinodoku went right through the fading double-image he left behind. "WHERE ARE YOU?" the creature shouted.  
"Here." Hitomi whispered before suddenly shouting, "TWIRL PUNCH!"  
To his surprise, he managed to knock the monster down. He then tried to charge towards Basilisk, but the Hebinodoku was quick to recover and bite him in the back, causing him to freeze in place, literally.  
"NO FAIR CHEATING!" Ana suddenly shouted. "HOOP PUNCH!"  
She thought she'd get Hitomi's results, but she too got bitten and turned to stone.

"Ana's taking a while down there," Itsuko said. "What happened?"  
She retreated into the house and discovered Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Ana all turned to stone. Then she saw Saeko's statue form. "Miss Mitaka? What are you doing here? Or was your ballet class over for the day?"  
"ITSUKO!" Ribbon shouted. "Thank goodness you came! Everyone in Pretty Cure went down easily! The Hebinodoku was stronger than we expected!"  
Suddenly, a Rhythm Console flew through an open window and struck Itsuko in the back. "What was that?" she asked.  
Ribbon said, "It's a miracle! Someone brought the fifth Rhythm Console over here!"  
"Apparently, that someone thought I was the fifth Cure," Itsuko said.  
"After what you just saw, do you not believe me? Fine!" Ribbon said. "I'll prove it to you! Press the buttons as I recite them to you: Up. Up. Down. Down. Left. Right. Left. Right. B. A. Start!"  
Upon entering the code, Itsuko was enveloped in a bright blue light. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
When the light dissipated, Itsuko was dressed differently. "Intelligent, noble, and cool as ice! I am Cure Rope! YATTA! PRETTY CURE!"  
Her outfit was similar to that Hitomi wore as a Cure, except colored blue and black instead of pink. "Incredible," said she. "It's in my favorite color, even!"  
Itsuko charged towards the Hebinodoku but barely missed toppling one of the statues in the room. An irritated Basilisk shouted at her, "Be more careful, you blithering idiot!"  
Itsuko desperately searched for a big enough space. She finally found one near where Tsumugi's still form, her right arm extended, hand formed into a fist, was standing, supported by magically-created yet invisible poles. "ROPE KICK!" Itsuko shouted as she sent the Hebinodoku flying with a grand battement. The Hebinodoku soon recovered, though, but Itsuko was quicker. "You can do it!" Ribbon shouted.  
"Tsumugi probably could've put it better, if she wasn't a marble statue at this point," Itsuko said. "Anyway… Frigid Cord!"  
A blue rope appeared in her hand. She swung it around her and did a couple of cartwheels while doing so. After performing a few clockwise pirouettes en dehors, she posed on her tiptoes with the rope in both hands.  
"PRETTY CURE LASSO OF PURGATORY!"  
With these words, she swung the rope around like a lasso and ensnared the Hebinodoku within, purifying it, after which she curtsied.  
It then struck her. "You vicious woman!" she shouted. "Why didn't you murder my friends when you had the perfect opportunity?"  
"I have my reasons," Basilisk replied. "Not only have your friends become priceless works of art, I'm not a big fan of cheap victories. It's also why I deliberately held back against you: my Hebinodoku went out of bounds when fighting your crossdressing friend."  
As everyone, including the Cures, returned to normal, she continued, "Well, it looks like my spell has once again been broken. Enjoy life while you still can!"  
With these words, she departed. Tsumugi opened her right hand and shook it a few times. "What the bloody hell happened?" she asked.  
Itsuko said, "Apparently, you and your friends got bitten by a basilisk and turned to stone. Luckily, I was able to save your rear ends by defeating it in combat. Still… I wonder who it is that allowed me to do so…"  
Then a Cure Chip appeared in her hands. "What is this?" she asked.  
Tsumugi said, "A Cure Chip, mate. It's basically a multipurpose item that will help us on our quest. Welcome aboard. Well, it's getting late, so we all had better get back home."  
Itsuko said, "I look forward to meeting you all again tomorrow."  
"The same to you, mate," Tsumugi said.  
Itsuko smiled.


	6. Sunday Funday

It was Sunday.  
Hitomi just wanted to get some rest; after all, not only had he been petrified the day before, he had also fought an evil organization for five days straight. Losing to Basilisk, who he had earlier bested in combat, stung him; he was at least grateful Itsuko had stepped in to free him from a marble form.  
Suddenly, his phone rang. He recognized the number. "You seem a bit peppy for someone who was turned to stone last night," he said without waiting for Tsumugi to respond.  
"I already called Ana," Tsumugi said. "She gave me her number after the concert on Friday. I haven't called Saeko yet, but I will once I'm through talking with you. Anyway, meet me in the Soho shopping district in about half an hour or so."  
"Will do," Hitomi said. "I must warn you, though, I'm not really a morning person; I'm still a little tired."  
"Who cares? Fix yourself some breakfast," Tsumugi replied, "and get a move on! We don't have all day, after all!"  
Hitomi hung up and got dressed, choosing a jacket, a T-shirt, and jeans.

"Late! PENALTY!" Tsumugi shouted.  
Hitomi looked at her funny. She chuckled and said, "Couldn't resist, mate; this whole scenario reminds me of some of those books I like reading."  
"I know what you're talking about," Itsuko said. "You call that real literature?"  
Ana, wearing a dark green cardigan over a lighter green camisole, olive green shorts, black stockings, and green ballet flats, shook her head. "If we're all gathered here," she said, "why don't we actually do stuff instead of arguing about the status of light novels?"  
Saeko asked, "Where did you want to go first, Tsumugi?"  
Tsumugi swung her purse in plain sight of her friends and replied, "How about we shop for some clothes first? Whatever we buy, it's all on me!"  
With the others following her, the twintailed girl, clad in a red leather jacket, a black T-shirt, and jeans, ran towards the nearest clothing store.

As the Cures proceeded through the store looking for stuff suited to their respective tastes, Tsumugi decided to attempt a prank on Hitomi. She stopped and picked out a pink skirt. Turning to Hitomi, she asked, "What would you think of this?"  
Hitomi said, "I know you well enough to know it's not your style."  
"Not for me, you ratbag!" Tsumugi said with an irritated look on her face. "I was wanting to know if YOU would be interested!"  
Hitomi said, "I wasn't in a skirt mood today."  
"Well, ya might tomorrow," Tsumugi said, "so you may as well try this out today and get it over with as quickly as possible!"  
Hitomi sighed and said, "Fine."  
Taking the skirt, he walked into the men's dressing room. As he got changed, he heard some mischievous chuckling. Now in the skirt, he emerged only to see Tsumugi closing her purse. "What in blazes is going on!?" he shouted, cross-popping veins appearing on his forehead.  
"Tsk, tsk. You didn't do it quickly enough," Tsumugi said.  
"I demand to know where you hid my jeans!" Hitomi exploded.  
"In my purse they went, and in my purse they'll stay until today's gathering is concluded," Tsumugi replied.  
"And another thing!" Hitomi continued. "Why does the JISHA allow the bottoms of dressing room doors to be high enough for people to steal the clothes of unsuspecting customers trying stuff on, to say nothing of even bigger concerns I might have with doors like that?"  
"Not my department, mate," Tsumugi said. "All I gotta say is, deal with it."  
Hitomi stormed off. "What's with him?" Saeko asked.  
"He got rather angry at me for having a lend of him in public," Tsumugi replied. "The prank was much more effective than I thought."  
Saeko blushed and shouted, "Don't remind me of all those times you forced me to cosplay earlier!"  
"Relax," Tsumugi said. "We'll just wait for him in the checkout lane."  
Sure enough, as they were checking out, Hitomi came back with some brand new white tights. He slammed the pair onto the counter in obvious irritation, and once both the tights and the tag on his skirt were scanned, he picked up the tights and returned to the dressing room.  
"Next time, Tsumugi," Ana said, "I suggest you talk it over with all of us, including Hitomi, before trying anything like that on him again."  
Tsumugi rolled her eyes and said, "I just wanted to see how the skirt would look on him. Two layers, frills on the hem of each… it's more or less no bloody different than the skirt he usually wears when going to his classes at Altair."  
"Except the skirt he wears at Altair has a bodice attached to it," Itsuko said. "The skirt you picked out for him is reserved for the runway."  
Now wearing the tights in addition to the pink skirt, Hitomi rejoined the group. "Where will we be going next?"

Of course, no sooner did they depart than Ribbon appeared in her humanoid form. "Ciao!" she said. "Ready for a great Girls' Day Out?"  
"Actually, I'm a boy," Hitomi said, "but if you didn't know me, you'd think I was just as much a girl as my friends here."  
Suddenly, a light trail resembling a meteor approached them. Ribbon opened her arms and approached the trail of light, much to the Cures' confusion ("What in the name of crikey is she doing?").  
Ribbon quickly fell backwards. Tsumugi asked, "You OK?"  
That's when she saw him. A blue bunny rabbit in a blue leotard, on top of an excited Ribbon. "R-Ring!" the pinkhead exclaimed. "Glad to see you could c-c-come here, b-brother!  
The rabbit took on his own humanoid form. In this form, he still wore his blue leotard, but now he was wearing black tights underneath, in addition to sneakers. "It's been a while, sis," said he. "I see you've gathered Pretty Cure together, finally."  
"Itsuko, do you have the Cure Chip you received last night?" Ribbon asked.  
Itsuko took it out and put it in her Rhythm Console. "You're just as smart as Hitomi!" Ribbon squealed in excitement.  
"Oh, I'm actually smarter than he is," Itsuko said as she entered the code. A pink hat appeared out of thin air, and Ribbon put it on quickly. "Now the costume set is complete!" said the pinkhead, who wore a pink pinafore over a white puffy-sleeved shirt.  
"Oh, I should like to acquaint myself with Pretty Cure first," Ring said. "Starting with the boy in the pink skirt!"  
"Uh, my name's Hitomi, and I'm not wearing this skirt by choice," Hitomi said. "Why don't you ask Tsumugi?"  
Ring pointed at Tsumugi and shouted, "You oughta be ashamed of yourself, forcing your boyfriend to wear a pink skirt for your outing!"  
Tsumugi slugged Ring in the face and exclaimed in irritation, "He's not my boyfriend, OK?"  
"You got that right," Hitomi said.  
"Who next?" Ring asked. He then pointed around Saeko, Ana, and Itsuko as he recited the traditional rhyme before suddenly pointing at Saeko while shouting, "I choose you!"  
Saeko was at a loss for words. Tsumugi said, "You shouldn't be picking on Saeko, you know! She's actually quite easily frightened."  
Ring suddenly felt a fist shoving him in the face. "She does that," Tsumugi said. "She can defend herself on a hair trigger. I taught her that move myself."  
Ana said, "If you ever went to a Mach Five concert, you'd know who I am."  
Itsuko said, "She's Ana, and I'm Itsuko. Now can we go?"  
Ring asked, "Where to?"

"Heh. So you decided to take on four of these legendary warriors in a fair fight?"  
Basilisk said, "Yeah."  
Rattlesnake pushed her and shouted, "AND YOU STILL LOST!?"  
"Well, not exactly," Basilisk said. "There was a fifth one."  
"Well, GUESS WHAT!?" Rattlesnake roared. "I can take on a quintet of these legendary warriors better than you can, considering I trained as hard as you did since losing to those twerps!"  
Unimpressed, Basilisk said, "Prove it."  
The two suddenly started at each other, but Rattlesnake came out on top within a minute. "I know karate, judo, how to summon a Hebinodoku properly, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And don't you forget it!" Rattlesnake said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Lady President to report to."

Meanwhile, back in Dream City's Soho shopping district, the Cures, along with Ribbon and Ring, were having a fun time.  
At 12:21 P.M., they went to the arcade. To Ring's annoyance, Ribbon was playing Radar Scope seemingly non-stop ("I knew you like annoyingly high-pitched sounds, but this is ridiculous!"). Hitomi and Tsumugi, meanwhile, chose to play Mario Bros., and Ana decided to play Donkey Kong.  
At 1:33 P.M., they headed for the karaoke parlor at Ana's suggestion. For just over half an hour, they all had fun singing their favorite songs.  
At 2:15 P.M., on Saeko's suggestion, they decided to sample a ballet lesson at the Dream Ballet Studio. The regulars all wore black camisole tunics, but the Cures were still wearing their street clothes. "What a great service to the community!" said Ribbon, who was watching the whole thing with Ring. The blue-clad boy said, "Yeah, well, this is the first time I've ever heard of a dance studio offering free samples to outsiders." Ribbon elbowed him and said, "Don't be so rude to my friends!"  
At 3:55 P.M., they moved on to a cafeteria. "All that dancing can make anyone hungry," Saeko said. "Just ask me and my friends Hikari and Yasu!"  
"In any case," Hitomi said as he bit into a rice ball, "these jelly donuts taste so good!"  
"You got that right," said Ana, who had on her plate a bunch of jelly donuts but no rice balls.  
"The great Yankee treat!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "No jelly in these rice balls Hitomi and I are eating, of course. Damn those crazy Canucks, they know nothing about our culture!"  
Six sweat drops promptly appeared around the table. Hitomi said, "OK, that's pushing it."  
Tsumugi noticed that Ana's plate was almost empty. "Ana! You're eating faster than a Miyazaki character! At this rate, you're going to end up unfit for idol work!"  
Ana said, "I balance it out enough with a strict exercise regiment. That dancing certainly must've helped. Oh, you may have recognized a certain someone with blue-tinted glasses at the studio. She's one of the regulars there and has her classes not just at 2:15 P.M. Sundays but also at 5:30 P.M. Thursdays."  
Tsumugi put down her food. "Angela Deodato? Yeah, I recognised her among the regulars! Of course, I knew she's a ballerina, but I never knew she had her classes at the Dream Ballet Studio!"  
Saeko said, "I never knew she had her classes there, either."  
Ana chuckled and said, "Just dumb luck, eh? As Itsuko likes to say…"  
Itsuko interjected, "You learn something new every day."  
Ring said, "I only wish I knew as much about you five as my sister does."  
Ribbon said, "You will, mio fratello."  
Hitomi's eyes widened. "Now that one I do understand," he said. "Something about siblings, I guess?"  
Tsumugi said, "Yeah, fratello is brother. However, the Italian for sister would be sorella. I kind of figured the terms fraternity and sorority were related to those two Italian words."  
"Spare us the Italian lesson," Ana said. "You guys almost done with your lunch?"  
"Actually," Itsuko said, "most of us are."  
Tsumugi finished her last rice ball and said, "Right, then, shall we get a move on?"  
Little did they know that Rattlesnake was following them…

At 4:20 P.M., the Cures hit the karaoke song-and-dance station. "Anataboshi" was among the songs performed during their stay; as Hitomi, Tsumugi, and Saeko danced along on the conveniently nearby stage, Ana took to the mic and sang her heart out. Saeko didn't know the steps, so Hitomi and Tsumugi, who did thanks to having seen the original performers of the song (of whom they were fans) in concert when their tour stopped at Dream City, guided her along.  
At 5:10 P.M., they went to Cosplay City to try on some cosplays for the coming Golden Week convention and celebration.  
Tsumugi kicked things off with a set consisting of a yellow tank top, jean shorts, and red sneakers, accompanied by Saeko, who wore a pale red hat, a black tank top with a white collar, a red pleated wrap skirt, black stockings, and short black boots. Ana had this to say about their outfits: "Old school meets new school! Quite amazing! But I think I can do one better."  
And do one better she did, dressed as Luigi with a dark green shirt and light green overalls, alongside Hitomi as Mario with a red shirt and dark blue overalls and Itsuko as Princess Rosalina with her cyan dress. Tsumugi was absolutely gobsmacked: "Mamma mia! That's exactly how the Mario Bros. used to wear their colors three decades ago!"  
A solo by Saeko was next; her outfit was the same white tutu worn by Princess Tutu. "Oh, yeah, I'd care to dance," Itsuko said.  
She then proceeded to show off Homura Akemi's black and white dress, complete with the black patterned tights. "You call that cool? I'll show you cool!" Ana said.  
She rocked a tiger fur bikini and tiger fur boots on her next turn. Hitomi was unimpressed: "I'm not sure an idol should be rocking a bikini body, even if she is cosplaying as Lum the Invader Girl. Allow me to demonstrate proper idol dress."  
Hitomi proceeded to rock an idol costume worn by Minako Aino, which incorporated a light green button-up halter top with detached sleeves, an orange ribbon tied around his neck, an orange tutu skirt, white tights, and short light green heeled boots. Itsuko proceeded to take a picture. "Hey! Where did that camera come from all of a sudden?" Tsumugi shouted. Itsuko simply said, "Part of my journalist gear; I wanted to document the whole day, with the help of others as necessary."  
"Then how come we weren't aware of it until now?" Tsumugi asked.  
Itsuko winked and said, "You should've paid more attention."  
Itsuko then proceeded to try on a costume worn by Utau Hoshina, which incorporated a dark gray corset worn over a black tutu with puffed shoulders, dark gray stockings, and stylish-looking black shoes. "I can do dark, too, you know!" Saeko said.  
She and Hitomi proceeded to try on some ballerina clothes, with Hitomi wearing an orange short-sleeved leotard with a small dark blue ribbon woven through the neckline and tied at the front and a dark blue waistband, classical pink tights, and dark orange ballet slippers and Saeko wearing a white camisole tunic, classical pink tights, and white pointe shoes. "You sure that's what you want to wear on Golden Week?" Itsuko asked. "I'm especially asking you, Hitomi." Hitomi couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed as she took the picture of him and Saeko anyway.  
Ana returned to the dressing room and donned Basil Rathbone's famous Sherlock Holmes costume. "How do you look so sharp dressed as the world's greatest detective?" Tsumugi asked, to which Ana replied, "Elementary, my dear Watson."  
Hitomi and Itsuko followed it up with a pair of Corrector costumes. Hitomi, wearing a pink tutu and short pink boots, was obviously Corrector Yui, and Itsuko was dressed as Corrector Haruna, wearing a green two-piece outfit and green shoes with pink ribbons tied around her lower legs. "As digital as you wanna be!" Tsumugi quipped as she took her first and only picture of the day.  
Ana had another turn, this time dressing up as Supergirl, wearing a blue top with the Super "S" symbol, a red cape, a blue skirt, red bike shorts, and red boots. "Now there's something a Pretty Cure would probably wear," Tsumugi said. "Just add frills, and you'll look like one of the lovely ladies Miyo Masuko likes to interview!"  
Finally, Hitomi and Tsumugi trotted out of the dressing rooms as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, respectively, with Hitomi wearing a white tunic with a blue sailor collar and skirt, a gold tiara, a magenta chest bow, a magenta waist ribbon, flesh-colored tights, and magenta boots, and Tsumugi wearing a tuxedo and top hat, a white domino mask, a black cape with a red underside, and black shoes.  
At 6:30 P.M., they were finally ready to go home. "Ugh… all those cosplays and I still couldn't figure out exactly who I want to go as!" Hitomi grumbled. "Well, at least my younger sister does fashion design as a hobby, and she's good for her age, I'll have to admit."  
"Where do we eat dinner?" Saeko asked.  
"Home, I guess," Tsumugi said. "We'll drop Hitomi off at his place first, just for convenience's sake."  
"Aw, man!" Ana groaned. "I was looking forward to dinner at the pizza parlor."  
Itsuko stuck her finger towards Tsumugi and said, "Look what I found."  
Tsumugi suddenly jumped back in fright. "JEEZ! Three things I hate are carrots, peppers, and bugs!"  
"Then you're going to lose yourself at the sight of my Hebinodoku," Rattlesnake said, having intercepted them. "But don't worry, I'll save that for later. Right now, I've got my eye on someone else's desire for perfection."  
A serpent suddenly appeared. Rattlesnake silently guided it to a takoyaki stand operated by a former Altair student. Within the minute, a Hebinodoku was formed from the takoyaki stand. "Bloody hell!" shouted Tsumugi.  
Ring said, "You five know what to do, right?"  
Hitomi said, "Like I told your sister, I'm not a scholarship student for nothing."  
All five pulled out their Rhythm Consoles and entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop!"  
"Intelligent, noble, and cool as ice! I am Cure Rope!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
"Don't hold back!" Rattlesnake shouted. "It may be the five of them against the two of us, but if you do as I say, they should be easy! Now then! TIME FOR A FULL-ON FOOD FIGHT!"  
Pretty Cure was prepared. "I know what a food-themed enemy is capable of," Tsumugi said, "so watch for falling takoyaki!"  
The Hebinodoku started firing a volley, and Pretty Cure dodged. After a few seconds, it stopped to reload. "An opening!" Hitomi shouted. The Cures attacked the Hebinodoku while it was reloading. But this time, there was something more balletic about the way they attacked.  
"Whoa!" Ana shouted. "Must've been that dance class earlier today, but I'm pretty sure we hit it with a fouette in sync!"  
"That's what they call it!?" Hitomi responded. "No wonder I felt myself whipping its gut with my leg!"  
Tsumugi suddenly found herself doing a spin move to dodge the takoyaki the Hebinodoku fired at her feet. "Sailor Moon, I feel for you," she said.  
As for Saeko and Itsuko, the balletic enhancement to their abilities felt more natural. After the second volley finished, Saeko said, "This gives me a great idea for a duet move! You ready, Tsumugi?"  
Feeling slightly dizzy, Tsumugi glanced at Saeko and said, "I guess."  
"D-Duet Flying Kick! Un!" Saeko shouted.  
Grabbing her at the hips, Tsumugi shouted, "Deux!"  
As they shouted "TROIS!" in unison, Tsumugi threw Saeko into the air, high enough for the yellow-clad Cure to disarm the Hebinodoku with a grand battement.  
"HOOP PUNCH!" Ana shouted. This time around, she was more successful in connecting with her opponent.  
"ROPE KICK!" Itsuko shouted as she attacked the Hebinodoku with a grand battement.  
Tsumugi glanced at Hitomi and said, "You know what to do, right, mate?"  
Hitomi nodded. "Graceful Ribbon."  
A pink gymnastics ribbon appeared in his left hand. He twirled it above him as he performed a pair of counter-clockwise tiptoe turns, then he leapt into the air. He landed and performed a half turn, swinging the ribbon in front of him. Swinging it above him, he then performed a clockwise pirouette en dedans and changed hands so the ribbon was now in his right hand. He posed on his tiptoes with his arms forming a Y shape.  
"Pretty Cure Elegant Spiral!"  
With these words, he started twirling the ribbon in front of him. The ribbon took on a spiral shape as it extended with each small tiptoe step he made, until it touched the Hebinodoku, causing a long ribbon to form. It wrapped itself around the creature and squeezed it tight, purifying it. An explosion of light followed, after which he curtsied.  
"I'll remember this!" Rattlesnake grumbled as she teleported away from the scene.  
Tsumugi said, "They always say that. How boring!"  
Hitomi said, "That's just the way they are, Princess."

After the two had detransformed, Tsumugi reached into her purse and said, "I believe I owe you something, mate."  
She handed Hitomi his blue jeans, the cosplays he had tried on, and the rest of the clothes she had bought him. "Like I said, it's a tough call," said he, "but I'll work something out with my sister and see what she thinks of these possibilities. Whoa, your purse seems to have one hell of a high capacity!"  
"That's just the way these things are sometimes," Tsumugi admitted. "I could even hold a 4K home theatre ensemble in here if I wanted to."  
"Don't let anyone steal your magic bag," Ana said as Tsumugi handed her all the cosplays she had tried on and the clothes she had bought her. "It's just as valuable as the Cure Chip that just appeared in Saeko's hand."  
Saeko put the Cure Chip in the pocket on the bodice of her checkered dress as Tsumugi handed her all the cosplays she had tried on and the clothes she had bought her. "Seems like a heavy load," Saeko said, "but I'm a ballerina, so I should be strong enough to carry it all."  
"Just give me my clothes already, Aussie! What's taking you so long?" Itsuko shouted. Tsumugi was happy to oblige her, saying, "Here you go, mate. And for the record, I'm only half-Aussie. Like I said earlier, my mum was born and raised in South Australia, but my father was born in Kyoto, some miles south of here."  
"Oh, thanks for everything, Princess," Hitomi said, curtsying. Tsumugi curtsied back, saying, "Don't mention it. I just wanted us to get to know each other, now that we're a team. Plus, you know what they say."  
"I know, I've heard that song before," Ana said. "Where do we go next?"  
Her purse hanging from her arm, Tsumugi put her hands in her jeans pockets and said, "I guess I'll drop you off at the nearby pizza parlour, Ana, since you really want it so bad."  
"Thanks, Tsumugi," Ana said.  
Ring said, "As for me, I guess I'm going to stick around for a while. The reason why I'm here is because Queen Selene has charged me with assisting you ladies on your quest."  
Ribbon asked, "What will your cover be while you're carrying out your duty?"  
Ring said, "I've got just the perfect idea."

Sure enough, the next morning, during Hitomi and Tsumugi's homeroom, Hitomi's Rhythm Console vibrated. He suddenly got up. "Excuse me," he said, bowing to the teacher and temporarily leaving Room 1-L.  
There was Ring, wearing his gymnastics leotard as usual. "Just wanted to say hi," said he, "plus your parents now believe you have a first cousin thrice removed or something like that."  
Hitomi said, "You weren't kidding. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay."  
Reverting to his mascot form, Ring said, "I will as much as my kid sister does."  
"HEY! RING!" Ribbon shouted. "HURRY UP, OR WE'LL BE LATE FOR CLASS!"  
Ring grumbled, "Unusual sentiment coming from you."  
As Hitomi opened the door, he glanced behind him to see Ring having vanished. "Seems he and his sister can teleport, too," said he.  
He reentered the classroom.


	7. The Good, the Bad and the Secret

It all started with a bulletin board.  
Hitomi and Tsumugi were preparing for their semi-weekly karate class as they were leaving Altair for the day with their friends. "God, I'll be so busy tonight!" Hitomi groaned.  
"Well, that's what happens when you have karate and baseball on the same day, mate," Tsumugi said. "Believe me, my karate classes are never on the same day as cheerleading camp... CUH-RI-KEY!"  
To her utter shock, a lot of material centering on her and her friends was all over the bulletin board. "I'll be damned," Ana said. "We made the news without even doing anything the pros would consider newsworthy."  
"Oh, really?" Tsumugi asked. "How about that time we fought a monster during your concert last Friday?"  
Saeko said, "We also engaged in an unusually balletic fight against another monster in public."  
"It was quite unusual for me!" Tsumugi shouted.  
"Says the girl whose finishing move is called 'Passion Pirouette'," Hitomi said.  
"I beg your pardon!?" Tsumugi shouted, aghast. "More than anything, that's just your typical flashy maho shojo finishing move, no flashier than, say, Moon Spiral Heart Attack, for example! And how come you're posing in a ballerina leotard on camera?"  
Hitomi shot a dirty look at Itsuko. "I'll fess up," said she. "In addition to being on the student council, I'm also on the Newspaper Club."  
Tsumugi's eyes widened. "A double agent? No surprise, considering how crafty you've shown yourself to be at times."  
"If I may," interjected another girl, "I am the president of the Newspaper Club and the vice president of the Broadcast Club, Misa Masuko."  
"I'll be stuffed," Tsumugi said. "How many of you are there?"  
Indeed, Misa looked a lot like Miyo Masuko, the host of Pretty Cure Weekly. "Who knows?" Misa asked. "I take it you've met my famous Aunt Miyo?"  
"Not yet," Tsumugi said.  
"The way you say it," Misa said, "makes me think you're hiding something. Aunt Miyo and Aunt Mika both know a Pretty Cure when they see one. Are any of you Pretty Cure, by any chance?"  
"Leave them alone, Misa," Itsuko said. "Hitomi and Tsumugi both have to be somewhere soon, and then Hitomi has to get to Betelgeuse Public High School for spring training against the Phantoms."  
"Fine," Misa said. "But I at least want to get the scoop on the resident idol rocker, Ana Yotsuya."  
Tsumugi said, "Let's get the bloody hell over to the dojo, Hitomi."  
Hitomi and Tsumugi promptly split as fast as they could. "Traitors," Ana said. "They're gonna leave me to the scoop hound?"  
"So tell me, Ana," Misa said. "What did you have for lunch today?"  
Ana said, "Well, I... just had my own lunch, as cooked by my mother, plus some takoyaki treats made by my good friend Tsumugi Nikaido. And as for breakfast, I had Special K with Banana."  
"You got a boyfriend?"  
Ana said, "Well, not exactly. But I do have someone I look up to."  
"Who?"  
Ana thought long and hard.

Following his karate class, Hitomi ran as fast as he could to Betelgeuse Public High School, making it just in time to follow Chikara Suzushima. "Hitomi Ichinose reporting for duty, sir!"  
Coach Miyamoto said, "Just in time. Daniel, I'm pulling you now that the regular's returned from his karate class."  
Hitomi stepped up to the plate and saw three pitches go right past him. The first went over the strike zone. The second went too wide. For once, the plate umpire saw fit to audibly call the ball. The pitcher threw the next one a bit too far to the right and struck Hitomi in the stomach. Needless to say, the umpire, who was watching the ball's trajectory, ruled that Hitomi could take his base and walked up to the mound. The Phantoms manager stepped out to defend the pitcher. Hitomi walked to first base with a look of annoyance on his face, but not because he had just been nailed in the stomach.  
He recognized a certain someone from earlier in the day, who was now capturing the manager-umpire confrontation on camera.  
Misa Masuko.  
A few unprintable words were thrown around during the argument, during which the magic word was spoken. The following exchange was made out from the soundless recording Misa made, anticipating that things–and words–would soon get ugly. "What the hell were you thinking!?" the umpire exploded.  
"I wasn't thinking, Blue, and neither was my pitcher!" the manager shouted.  
"I caught him throwing at the batter! He threw it too ––––––– fast!"  
"Watch your ––––––– language!"  
The umpire chased the manager. "Whatever, ––––head. But it was an accident, what he did!"  
"I'm fully aware of that."  
"Now that we got that out of the way..." the manager said before leaving. The umpire said, "And you, if I see any more beanballs, you will follow your manager."  
Misa stopped recording in annoyance. "You OK, Ichinose?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hitomi said. "Just don't photograph me immediately after I get plunked in the future."  
"Fair enough," Misa said. "A journalist has got to know her limitations, after all."  
The Tigers would go on to cream the Phantoms 8-1, helped by starting pitcher "Rocket" Roig's sinker strategy; the game ended with a shoestring catch by Tigers third baseman Sanji Mitsuoka.

Meanwhile, at UDI headquarters, Rattlesnake was being chewed out by her boss, Cottonmouth the Terrible.  
"What's this I hear about you taking our fight public?" the black-clad leader demanded.  
Rattlesnake said, "I... I think I've got a lead on this. Apparently, one of them is on the newspaper club, and she had a camera!"  
"No wonder!" Cottonmouth said. "She must have friends!"  
"Whoever they are," Rattlesnake said, "I'll find them and make them regret associating with Pretty Cure!"  
"This time," Cottonmouth said sternly, "I expect things to be done quietly, so the public doesn't once again become aware of us."  
"Understood," Rattlesnake said.  
She promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

A series of articles on the new fivesome was plastered all over the bulletin board the next day, not the least of which was a sports section on which the Tigers made the front page.

**_THE PHANTOMS MENACED_**  
_Yesterday, at the Alphadome at Betelgeuse Public High School, the Tigers creamed the Betelgeuse Phantoms 8-1. As usual, our star pitcher, "Rocket" Roig, was the key to our victory, giving up but a single run and finishing the game, whereas Phantoms starter Taisuke Izumi got worn out by the seventh inning._  
_"It's no secret," said the Rocket following the game. "I just have a stronger arm than do most pitchers my age."_  
_Towards the end of the game, one of the Amazing Three, Hitomi Ichinose, returned from his karate class just in time to have a turn at the plate. Unfortunately, he was hit by a pitch, resulting in a profanity-laced argument between the Phantoms manager and the home plate umpire that ended with an ejection. The pitcher, on the other hand, was let off with a warning._  
_Of course, it didn't officially end our long losing streak against the Phantoms, dating back to 2011, because it was a spring training game. But assuming the Rocket is leading us, the losing streak being broken this year will be a certainty._  
_Other key players in the Tigers' spring training victory include Amazing Three member Hayate Tsubasa, who not only caught a huge number of fly balls hit by the Phantoms but also twice used the tried-and-true single-steal-sacrifice method; catcher Marcus Anderson, who hit sacrifice bunts as part of this strategy; Subaru Toyoda, the final member of the Amazing Three, who assisted in the strategy by hitting sacrifice flies; second baseman Yukari Ichijo, who twice helped end innings; and first baseman Chikara Suzushima, who put out many a batter to the best of his ability, even teaming up with right fielder Toyoda for yet another long-shot outfield-to-infield putout._  
_Upon taking his base after being struck in the stomach, left fielder Ichinose assured second-year journalist Misa Masuko, who helped the Broadcast Club and us of the Altair News-Sentinel in covering this game, that he was OK, and in fact he will once again start for the Tigers when they take on the Rigel Blue Sox for their next spring training game, which will take place on Wednesday. The Amazing Three have thus far played together in every spring training game, whether they started the game or not._

"Oi! Look, Hitomi! You made the front page!" Tsumugi shouted.  
"Actually," Hitomi said, "it's only the front page of the sports section."  
"And guess who was on the site?" Ana remarked.  
"I know," Hitomi said. "She photographed me just after the stomach shot knocked me on my rear end."  
"Ugh! How disgusting!" Tsumugi groaned. "Does she, like, have feelings for you?"  
"If she does," Hitomi said, "she definitely isn't letting them get in the way."  
Saeko found something on the front page. "She took a picture of us just before you and Hitomi left, Tsumugi," she said.  
"Impossible!" Tsumugi shouted. "That's definitely something no ordinary human can do... unless she had... a silent... camera..."  
"¡CORRECTAMUNDO!" Misa shouted. "My camera is more silent than I am. That's how I just took another picture of you five together without any of you noticing.  
"Anyway, we have open Student Council-Newspaper Club double agent Itsuko Godai, popular idol rocker Ana Yotsuya, prima ballerina Saeko Mitaka, cheerleader-in-training Tsumugi Nikaido, and star Tigers outfielder Hitomi Ichinose. A motley crew, indeed! Which one of you is the leader?"  
"That would be Hitomi," Itsuko said.  
"How scandalous!" Misa said. "Four girls and one guy in the same group together, and the leader's the guy? In a progressive age, how is that even possible!?"  
Tsumugi said, "We decided it ourselves, since he's a jack of all trades and a master of none, which in my opinion is certainly better than being a master of one."  
"What exactly do you call your group?"  
Hitomi spoke without thinking. "Gymnasts for Justice!"  
Misa was confused. "I don't get how that makes you special, apart from the quasi-alliterative name."  
Tsumugi said, "He's being serious, Masuko. Normally our duties as Gymnasts for Justice include–"  
"Come on," Itsuko said. "I doubt you can describe our duties with the word 'normally'."  
Hitomi said, "Anyway, we'd better get going. Tsumugi, for example, has to take her kid brother to his ballet class, Ana has to report to Kokoro Agency to prepare for her next concert, and Itsuko has her Student Council duties."  
Tsumugi said, "It's not just any ballet class, either; Hiroyuki's got a concert coming up with his class come Friday, so he has to prepare as much as he can. Plus, before the class, he has to get fitted for his costume."  
All five split, leaving Misa wondering what was up with them.

At 4:30 P.M., as requested by Tsumugi, Hitomi, Saeko, Ribbon, and Ring went to the Fukuda School of Dance. Tsumugi showed up a minute later with her brother, Hiroyuki. Tsumugi was still wearing her rhythmic gymnastics clothes, but Hiroyuki was wearing his blue ballet leotard. It was a lighter shade of blue than Ring's gymnastics leotard, and the sleeves were also shorter. "G'day, mates!" Tsumugi said. "Any sign of the journo since school let out?"  
"Now that you mention it," Hitomi said, "it's quiet around here. Too quiet..."  
"I did ask Ana and Itsuko to come along, too," Tsumugi said, "but it's London to a brick that they won't be here until at least Hiroyuki and his classmates start with the centre exercises, considering the stuff they have to do today."  
"Come on, sis!" Hiroyuki said. "It's almost time for the costume fitting!"  
They entered the ornate-looking dance studio together. Unknown to everyone, Misa was following them. "Is that their base?" she asked herself.  
She went through the automatic door.

"Miss Mitaka? What are you doing here in uniform? Your class isn't until tomorrow."  
Saeko, who wore the same pink leotard and pink skirt she wore to her dance classes, chuckled in embarrassment and said, "I was invited to come along by a friend of mine, Madame Fukuda. Her brother's having his class today."  
To indicate him, she lifted him above her head, much to his amazement. Tsumugi said, "I've been to her classes before, and she's in the girls' class on Wednesdays and the boys' class on Saturdays. Her friend Hikari is in whatever class she isn't on any particular day. Yasu's always in the boys' class. It's been said that there's two skirts in the boys' class every Saturday evening, since Yasu wears the same outfit as Saeko, only with custom colors."  
Hiroyuki's eyes widened. "It's like that in your friend's class, too? I can see where she gets her strength; the boys must have a rather hard time lifting her."  
"On the contrary," Tsumugi said, "because she's almost as strong as the boys are doesn't mean she's heavy. She may look petite, and she actually is a flyweight, but she's actually got a lot of muscle. Comes with the territory, I guess."  
Ribbon, who was oddly dressed appropriately for the occasion, asked, "Was that your brother?"  
"Yes," Tsumugi said as she watched her brother enter the dressing room to get fitted for his concert costume. "He wears the boys' leotard and the girls' ballet shoes. The reverse is true for one of his female classmates, who wears the girls' leotard and skirt and the boys' ballet shoes."  
"How long does the fitting take?"  
Tsumugi said, "Having taken my brother to his dance classes for years, I'm estimating he'll be back outside in about a minute or two. He's got to change his tights, of course, because they all wear white for class, but for concerts the girls wear theatrical pink, and after that he's got to put his pointe shoes back on."  
"I want to learn how to dance, too!" Ribbon exclaimed. "What style does Madame Fukuda teach?"  
"Vaganova," Tsumugi said. "When we went to the Dream Ballet Studio a couple of days ago, I recognised the style taught there as also being Vaganova. There is another ballet school in Dream City, but it uses Cecchetti, according to my rhythmic gym classmate Murasaki. She's always singing the praises of Cecchetti and is quite upset that Class G is being taught the Vaganova style."  
Saeko said, "A style I'm familiar with thanks to Madame Fukuda."  
Hitomi said, "Murasaki is a Cecchetti enthusiast; earlier today, she wouldn't stop complaining about Coach Nashton teaching the Vaganova style during our rhythmic gym classes. She even went so far as to claim that everyone in the class with a prior ballet background was taught the Vaganova style! Itsuko told her to do her research. Should I infer from that that Itsuko's ballet training is also Cecchetti?"  
"Who knows?" Tsumugi asked. "Ah, here comes my brother... WHOA! You look stunning!"  
Hiroyuki had emerged wearing the pink tutu he'd wear for his performance of a selection from La Fille Mal Gardée during the concert. "You think?" he asked as he twirled, the skirt of his tutu swirling with him.  
Tsumugi couldn't hold her thoughts back any longer. "KAWAI~!" she squealed excitedly.  
Rattlesnake was watching them from a safe distance and said, "Enjoy this dance while you can, ladies, because there's going to be a new dance coming."

The Cure Chip entered the Rhythm Console, and the code was entered. "PRETTY CURE! IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION!"  
With these words, Hitomi found himself dressed as a ballerina. Only, he wasn't the one who said the trigger phrase. It was Ribbon. "Bother it all!" he groaned. "What was up with that?"  
"I just thought you'd look cute dressed like that," Ribbon said.  
"KAWAI~!" was Tsumugi and Saeko's simultaneous reaction.  
Hiroyuki said, "It just looks so good on you!"  
"Y-You think so?" Hitomi asked, blushing.  
"Of course I do!" Hiroyuki replied. "Anyway, I could tell right away that your costume's from Coppelia. Some of my classmates and I will also perform a selection from that during Friday's concert."  
"Thanks," Hitomi said. "In any case, you should start warming up before your class. If your sister's to be believed–and I'm not saying she isn't–class starts at 5:00 sharp."  
Hiroyuki hurried outside. "Anyway," Hitomi continued, "I noticed you and your sister like to appear and disappear at will sometimes. For example, just before homeroom yesterday."  
Ring said, "That's because, as you probably suspected by now, we can teleport... at least, under the right circumstances. I was only able to slip past and help my sister give Itsuko her Rhythm Console–and we both believed she was one of the legendary warriors–because Cottonmouth, for some reason, happened to be asleep at the switch."  
"Perhaps she thought Basilisk had vanquished us?"  
"Perhaps," Ring said. "But lately Cottonmouth's been jamming the wavelength, if you will, which we use to teleport between the Realm of the Sun and the Moon and the Realm of the Greenery, so we had to use more physical means to get here. Needless to say, she overlooked the local wavelength, if you will, which allows us to teleport freely from place to place so long as it's within the Realm of the Greenery."  
"LET'S GO WATCH THEM!" Ribbon shouted, dragging Ring with her as she took off for the actual studio within the building. Hitomi adjusted his glasses and said, "I guess we'd better follow them."

As Tsumugi had predicted, Ana and Itsuko showed up just as the center exercises were getting started. While they were watching the center exercises, with everyone in the class in costume, Tsumugi thought it would be the right time to confess something. "Look at him," she said. "He's so amazing, to the point where I envy him sometimes."  
"Why?" Ana asked.  
"I should be the one in this class, not him. And even then, I wouldn't be due here until tomorrow. See, Hiroyuki really loves Super Sentai and action movies, and I my maho shojo programs. In my youth, one such program that got me glued to the tube was about ballerinas. Based on our respective tastes in television, our parents decided to have us get some exercise and signed me up with Madame Fukuda and Hiroyuki for a karate class in the Lower-West Corner... or so they thought at the time. As it turned out, they got their papers crossed in what turned out to be a happy little accident, which sent Hiroyuki to Madame Fukuda's class and me to the karate class. Of course, neither of us are complaining about it, though it did cause the unintentional side effect of Hiroyuki ending up in the girls' class. Of course, if things had gone as originally planned, I'd have alternated between classes, like Hikari."  
"Did you ever learn any of what you were originally intended to?" Itsuko asked.  
"Oh, yeah, we did," Tsumugi said. "In our spare time, we taught each other what we had learned in our respective classes. Of course, in the past few years, I had all but forgotten what Hiroyuki had taught me until I enrolled in Altair's rhythmic gymnastics section, and it's all coming back to me, slowly but surely."  
"Cut!" said an unexpected female voice. Annoyed, Tsumugi said, "Oh, it's only Masuko."  
"Don't forget about me!" said another female voice that caused everyone to get the chills. A snake showed up and bit Misa in the leg, causing her to drop her camera. "You OK?" asked Hitomi.  
"I'm fine," Misa said. "I kind of figured you weren't in this class, since you're older than this class's students. But are you one of Madame Fukuda's students?"  
"Actually, no," Madame Fukuda said. "But you'd be forgiven for assuming he was in Saeko's class, considering he looks like he's scheduled for the Coppelia selection for our concert. Plus, he's self-taught, having come with Tsumugi to her brother's and her friend's dance classes for a few years and learned by watching during that time."  
"You mean he'd been out of practice until he first went to rhythmic gym, too?" Saeko asked. "Similar to Tsumugi?"  
Tsumugi glanced at Saeko and said, "Bingo. As Confucius say, you learn something new every day."  
Ana glared at Tsumugi. Misa asked, "Where's my camera?"  
The answer roared right behind her, scaring her so hard she found herself in the air. Saeko caught her and carried her to the dressing rooms. "Stay right there," she said, "until the situation is under control."  
She closed the dressing room door behind her. Ring said, "You know what to do, right?"  
Saeko was smart enough to carry her Rhythm Console in her ballet bag every time she went to and from dance class, just in case a Hebinodoku ambushed her. Tsumugi removed her Rhythm Console from her shorts pocket, and Ribbon threw Hitomi his Rhythm Console. "Your baseball skills are really paying off," Tsumugi quipped. "I just love those reflexes!"  
They, along with Ana and Itsuko, entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop!"  
"Intelligent, noble, and cool as ice! I am Cure Rope!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
All of a sudden, Rattlesnake emerged from the dressing rooms, holding Misa hostage. "Either surrender the two rabbits," she said, "or the journalist dies!"  
"She's mad, isn't she? I'm not about to let anyone cark it in here," Tsumugi said, "but like bloody hell I'll let them have Ribbon and Ring! Saeko, we'll handle the Hebinodoku together. The rest of you, free the journo from that whacker's clutches!"  
"I think you're crazier than she is!" Ana shouted. "How do you expect us to get past that literal Kodak fiend?"  
"That's where Saeko and I come in," Tsumugi said. "That creature will be too distracted by two of us trying to fight it to pay attention to the other three!"  
Hitomi laughed. "As Confucius say," Tsumugi said, "laughter hides fear."  
"Second time today," Ana said, rolling her eyes.  
Hitomi took a moment to catch his breath and said, "Sorry. It's just that Tsumugi's sense of justice just produced the sort of brilliance Itsuko and I admire."  
"Don't be surprised," Saeko said. "At Nishi Public School for Girls, Tsumugi was second in her class, right behind Izumi. Because she's more on the brawn side doesn't mean she's particularly lacking in the brains department."  
Indeed, Hitomi also had good marks in both brains and brawn, so he understood what Saeko was talking about. "Yes, I do understand that it's possible to effectively balance brains and brawn," said he.  
"Enough talk, you muppets!" Tsumugi snapped. "We waste our time by talking, especially about how brains and brawn are not mutually exclusive. Now then, let's do this, presto!"  
With that, Tsumugi and Saeko went for the Hebinodoku, which fired web-like projectiles at them as they advanced. Upon first seeing an opening, Hitomi said, "Now!" Ana and Itsuko followed him as he charged towards Rattlesnake. In the meantime, Tsumugi and Saeko had landed hits on the creature.  
Unfortunately, Rattlesnake was ready for them. She prepared her own weapon and aimed it not at Misa, but at Hitomi, Ana, and Itsuko. "Shields up," Hitomi said.  
"HOOP HEMISPHERE!"  
Try as she might, Rattlesnake just couldn't penetrate Ana's barrier. "Damn," said she. "Now I'll have to recharge."  
"An opening!" Itsuko shouted. "ROPE HYDRO!"  
Itsuko fired enough high-pressure water at Rattlesnake to push her down and force her to release Misa. "Grab my hand!" Hitomi shouted. "Now!"  
Misa reluctantly did so. "TWIRL TELEPORT!"  
Both of them ended up in a safe spot elsewhere in the Fukuda School of Dance. "Stay here until I get back," Hitomi said before returning to the fight, again via teleportation.  
Meanwhile, Tsumugi and Saeko were able to knock it down long enough to do their Duet Attack. "Duet Flying Kick! Un!"  
"Deux!"  
"TROIS!"  
Tsumugi threw Saeko into the air just as the Hebinodoku recovered and was about to pounce on them. Saeko intercepted the monster in midair and sent it back down with a grand battement.  
"Graceful Ribbon."  
A pink gymnastics ribbon appeared in Hitomi's left hand. He twirled it above him as he performed a pair of counter-clockwise tiptoe turns, then he leapt into the air. He landed and performed a half turn, swinging the ribbon in front of him. Swinging it above him, he then performed a clockwise pirouette en dedans and changed hands so the ribbon was now in his right hand. He posed on his tiptoes with his arms forming a Y shape.  
"Pretty Cure Elegant Spiral!"  
With these words, he started twirling the ribbon in front of him. The ribbon took on a spiral shape as it extended with each small tiptoe step he made, until it touched the Hebinodoku, causing a long ribbon to form. It wrapped itself around the creature and squeezed it tight, purifying it. An explosion of light followed, after which he curtsied.  
He then teleported away and returned with Misa in tow. Before getting the hell out of Dodge, an upset Rattlesnake hissed contemptuously, "Just you wait, Pretty Cure. Next time, you're going to get beaten, defeated, vanquished, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And don't you forget it!"  
"Thanks for saving me," Misa said.  
"Least we could do," Hitomi said.  
"Just don't take pictures of us without our permission, OK?" Ana added.  
"Sure," Misa said. "I guess I got a bit too carried away in my quest to become a perfect journalist. After the escapades my aunts got involved in, I thought I could surpass them when it comes to interviewing Pretty Cure. Just one thing: who are you five?"  
"Who we are doesn't matter," Hitomi said. "It's not who we are, but what we do, that defines us."  
For perhaps the first time ever, Misa was at a loss for words. She could only watch the Cures revert to their civilian forms, but by that point it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that they were united by a common cause, and that now there was a more important task for her than getting the scoop on Pretty Cure.  
Protecting their identities.

Together, they watched the dress rehearsals which followed the regular class. Knowing his big sister was watching, as always, Hiroyuki danced as best as he could in his three concert pieces: the selection from La Fille Mal Gardée (a Lise variation from the Pas de Deux), the selection from Coppelia (the Valse des Heures from Act III), and a selection from The Sleeping Beauty (in which he performed as Princess Florine for the Pas de Deux de l'Oiseau Bleu et la Princesse Florine in its entirety).  
Everyone watching the dress rehearsals was amazed by his performance. "Good job, Hiroyuki," Tsumugi said as Hiroyuki did the standard reverence at the end in his final costume.


	8. Fractious Friends?

"G'day mate, how're you going?"  
Tsumugi was excitedly skating circles around Hitomi. "Why're you not standing still, Princess?" he asked. "Did something happen?"  
"Yeah!" Tsumugi said. "Something big!"  
The limousine carrying Itsuko appeared just as Ana ran through the gate. Itsuko emerged from the limo and curtsied to the driver. "Good morning, Hitomi. Good morning, Tsumugi. Good morning, Ana."  
Hitomi and Tsumugi curtsied as they and Ana said, "Good morning."  
Saeko finished her ballet practice just seconds later. "Just in time!" Tsumugi said. "I've got big news for y'all!"  
"Tell me about it," Itsuko said.  
"I've made the Roaring Tigresses cheerleading squad!"  
The others glanced at her. "Hey, if you think all cheerleaders are either shallow or malevolent, you've obviously been watching too much television," she responded. "You think cheerleading is all fun and games? The squad captain begs to differ. Serious business, people! That's her mantra: serious business!"  
Saeko said, "Seems only the real cheerleaders take the profession seriously."  
"Why do I feel guilty?" Ana asked.  
Itsuko said, "It's sad, really, that some cheerleaders are of the Hollywood variety. Ana had the misfortune of running into one of those once upon a time, and she's been suspicious of all cheerleaders, both the good and the bad, ever since."  
Tsumugi cursed loudly. "Why do they always let that one bad apple spoil the whole damn bunch?" she exploded. "Those bloody hoons make me as mad as a cut snake!"  
The Westminster Quarters were immediately sounded. "Let's go!" Tsumugi shouted. "We don't want to be late!"

Izumi glanced towards Tsumugi. She was drawing something in the middle of homeroom. "What are you drawing?"she asked.  
Tsumugi said, "I have an assignment for rhythmic gym, and it ain't what you'd expect."  
Hitomi explained, "Tsumugi is drawing up a costume design for the rhythmic gymnastics subgroup of which she'll be a member following Golden Week. Both drawings and team makeup are due at the end of our rhythmic gymnastics class today."  
"I'm almost finished," Tsumugi said. "I'm sure you'll love it, Hitomi."  
Hitomi scoffed and said, "Like I'm not fine with my tunic today."  
"Calm down, Hitomi," Yukari said. "It's not like she's forcing you into whatever it is she's drawing."  
"I know," Hitomi said. "It's just that right now I feel more in a skirt mood."  
Both Izumi and Yukari glanced confused at Hitomi. Tsumugi said, "I only heard that term from him last Sunday myself."  
Tsumugi returned to her drawing for a bit. Izumi adjusted her glasses and asked, "Is that when you tricked him into wearing a pink skirt all day for your excursion through Soho?"  
Tsumugi shook her head as she tried to keep concentrating on her sketch and said, "Crikey, that one doesn't look like it'll be going away any time soon..."  
Hitomi said, "Yeah, that's the one. Anyway, did you hear Tsumugi's joined the Roaring Tigresses?"  
The other Izumi, Izumi Kitagawa, said, "Yeah, she and I both made the final roster of this year's Roaring Tigresses cheerleading squad. They'll get their uniforms before they try out Saturday afternoon for various field positions at the Toradome. Haven't you heard? All the cheerleaders for members of the Dream City Baseball League are required to know at least two field positions so that they can step in in case the regular team runs out of players during any game, and the Roaring Tigresses are no exception. We'll be trying out for various positions on Saturday and, during Golden Week next week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, plus on the Compensation Holiday the week after. I hope to earn a position in the outfield, in case anyone in the Amazing Three–for example, Hitomi or his second, Daniel Howard–can't make it and the other outfielders are also incapacitated for whatever reason. What position are you gunning for, Tsumugi?"  
"Pitcher, and possibly also shortstop, so I can back up Yukari if Roger or any of the other infielders can't," Tsumugi said. "Oh, I've just finished my sketch. What do you think?"  
What Hitomi saw, as Izumi passed it to him, was a biker wearing a helmet, leather jacket, and jeans. "Seems doable," said he. "You're not the only one in Class G who wears denim with her rhythmic gym clothes, after all."

"Really?" Saeko asked. "You couldn't make our group costume a pretty dress?"  
"Well, I'm no fan of pretty dresses, personally," Tsumugi said. "And besides, I was actually wanting something that made us look like a force to be reckoned with."  
"But that takes a lot of practice," Saeko said, "plus the fact that the fabric appears too rigid for some of the more impossible moves made by rhythmic gymnasts."  
"'Impossible' n'est pas Français," Tsumugi replied, "nor is it English, Japanese, or any other language I know to any degree. What I wear to rhythmic gym should make it obvious enough."  
The PE teacher shouted, "MISS MITAKA! MISS NIKAIDO! TIME TO STEP IN!"  
Hitomi and Hikari watched as Saeko and Tsumugi joined the basketball game. "I must warn you, Saeko," Tsumugi said, "I refuse to lose!"  
The game resumed. Soon, a defense gone wrong caused Tsumugi to get headbutted in the chest by the other team. "As Confucius say," Saeko said, "overconfidence never pays."  
"I'm not in the mood for 'Confucius say'!" Tsumugi shouted. "I just got knocked onto my rear end by one of your teammates!"  
"Which one?"  
"The one with the blue bloomers!"  
Saeko said, "There's more than one boy on my side of the court wearing bloomers, you know."  
"Must've been another American football hoon," Tsumugi said, "because the last time I caught some students playing rough, they were clad in military uniforms!"  
"Not all hooligans are from the American football side, you know!" Saeko said.  
"You calling me a hoon?"  
"Tough talk from a cheerleader!"  
Fortunately, Hitomi was able to pull Tsumugi away before the tensions could increase. "Stop fighting, you two!" he shouted. "You two are behaving so childishly!"  
Tsumugi and Saeko bowed apologetically. Little did they know, however, that the worst was yet to come...

"HAHA! I feel success the next time I'm called into the field!" Anaconda shouted as she walked out of the swimming pool. "You! The stoner!"  
"It's sculptor, you incredible nincomconda!" Basilisk snapped.  
"Whatever," Anaconda pouted. "Anyway, you ever heard of the concept of 'divide and conquer'?"  
"I'm afraid not," Basilisk said.  
"As Confucius say, a house divided against itself cannot stand," Anaconda said. "The idea just came to me. See, it hit my brainwaves that there's already friction developing between the Cures, so if we took advantage of it somehow, UDI would win for sure!"  
"For a pink spore," Basilisk said, "you sure have the capability to display the sort of brilliance I admire."  
"Now then, if you'll excuse me," Anaconda said, "I have a Lady President to report to."  
As she watched her depart, Basilisk said, "Good luck. I hope you don't fall flat on your face like that idiot Rattlesnake did twice in succession."

"What happened?" Hikari asked upon intercepting Hitomi and Tsumugi on the way to rhythmic gymnastics class.  
"Oh, some dispute over a drawing for our group," Tsumugi said. "Saeko wants us all to wear pretty dresses, but I prefer something more along the lines of 'cool as ice'."  
"Sorry to hear about it," Hikari said. "I'd be happy to join your group if Saeko won't."  
Hitomi adjusted his glasses and said, "We'd be very happy to welcome you into the fold if we're unable to convince Saeko."  
Tsumugi said, "Ana would probably be more accepting of the design, though I don't think Itsuko would approve of being in a group of rhythmic gymnasts dressed as punks."  
"Come on, Tsumugi," Hikari said. "It's just characters."  
"Characters as in actual characters, or characters as in immobile objects portrayed by living beings?"  
Hitomi said, "She's still a bit upset about being relegated to playing a tree years ago."  
"Really? You learn something new every day, it seems," Hikari mused to herself.

The elements of the class were slightly abbreviated to allow room for the costume designs and team makeups to be discussed and finalized before being submitted.  
"This doesn't look good," Ana said as she noticed Tsumugi and Saeko were at odds with each other. Ana had only been in the circle for a few days, but she knew that they were usually chummy towards each other.  
"No matter what happens," Itsuko said, "I'll be going with whatever Saeko decides on, even if you don't."  
"I'll have my reasons if I move to a different team," Ana said.  
Indeed, Tsumugi and Saeko fighting appeared to be an ill omen, and they didn't seem to be stopping any time soon.  
"This is it, Saeko," Tsumugi said. "The costume designs and team makeups have to be submitted before the end of class, so let's try to settle this democratically. Whichever design gets three fifths of the vote among us will be used for our group. I'm voting for my own design, obviously."  
"As do I," Saeko said.  
Ana voted for Tsumugi's design, and Itsuko for Saeko's design. "It's a tie," Ana said. "Hitomi, the vote's on you. I suggest you think carefully in the few minutes we have left."  
Hitomi thought hard about what to go with, but with just three minutes remaining in class, and with him feeling more in a skirt mood at the moment, he went with Saeko's design. Both Saeko and Itsuko promptly covered their ears as Tsumugi cursed in disgust.  
"Is that your final decision, mate?" she asked.  
Hitomi said, "I'm afraid I let my mood prejudice my decision."  
"Well, that's just great!" Tsumugi exploded. "You couldn't be bothered to think of anyone but yourself?"  
"I was thinking of Saeko and Itsuko, for crying out loud!" Hitomi shot back.  
Tsumugi balled her right hand into a fist and, for a minute, looked like she was about to punch someone. She didn't. "Do as you wish," Tsumugi said, "but you can count me out! I'll be taking my design to Hikari and see if she wants to form a team with me!"  
Tsumugi stormed off, carrying her costume design. Ana said, "I'm sorry, Itsuko, but I'm leaving, too."  
"Why?" Itsuko asked.  
"It's just that Saeko's design includes footed tights," Ana replied, "which is not my style. I'll be joining another team, I'm afraid."  
Ana left them. "Dammit!" Hitomi grunted through clenched teeth, pounding the sprung vinyl floor below him. "Now we're short two members, because Tsumugi and Ana decided to abandon us!"  
"As Confucius say," Itsuko said, "different tastes create different paths. We'll just have to find two more for our team."  
Hitomi asked, "What shall we call ourselves?"  
Saeko said, "How about The Dancing Princesses? The pretty dresses should match fairly well."  
Itsuko said, "I'll see if Murasaki will join us."  
Sakura Hisakawa walked up to the trio said, "I'd be happy to join, too. I'd like to include elements of Japanese dance in our routines, if you'll give me the chance."  
Hitomi said, "Welcome to the Dancing Princesses, Sakura."  
Itsuko returned to the group with the purple-clad Murasaki and said, "Murasaki agreed to join us as long as she could choreograph her own solo routines. She really is biased towards Cecchetti."  
"Fair enough," Hitomi said.  
He wrote everyone's names on the form before turning it and Saeko's costume design in.  
Tsumugi didn't speak a word to him on the way home. This did not bode well, because usually there'd be chatter at least all the way to the gate. In fact, the Cures were completely silent that afternoon.

Five costumes were ready by the following afternoon, the school tailor having finished them and left them in the correct dressing rooms. Tsumugi, already dressed in her leather jacket and black jeans, was stretching in the center of the dance studio where Class G convened when Hitomi appeared. "Where were you?" Tsumugi asked, irritated. "I didn't see you at the gate when I arrived!"  
Hitomi was confused. "I thought we weren't friends anymore, Princess?"  
"Where in bloody hell did you get that idea?" Tsumugi asked, shocked. "We're still friends, mate! I was just angry about the costume design situation, is all."  
Hitomi looked quite annoyed and relieved at the same time. "Way to give me the scare of my life, Princess," he groaned as he walked into the men's dressing room, having found a note left by the school tailor informing him that his costume was ready, written with a dry-erase marker.  
Saeko walked into the dance studio and saw Tsumugi there. "We're still friends, aren't we?"  
"Of bloody course we are!" Tsumugi said, exasperated. "I don't know how you got the silly idea we weren't after yesterday's incident. Now get in costume, if yours is ready now; I want to see how you look."  
Saeko said, "You seem to be fond of the Great Australian Adjective lately."  
"Why do you think?" Tsumugi replied. "I'm more on edge than usual, because I was worried my behavior yesterday had cost me a lot of friendships."  
"Perish the thought!" Saeko exclaimed. "I'm still your friend. You said so yourself."  
"So am I," Hitomi said as he emerged in his Dancing Princess costume–a pink dress with poofy sleeves, lace trim, and a flared and ruffled skirt with a layer of crinoline underneath. On the low point of each ruffle was a red rose. He also wore a silver tiara with a pink sapphire gemstone embedded in it, a silver sash around his waist, white tights, and pink ballet slippers. "How do I look?" he asked as he twirled, the skirt of his dress swirling with him.  
"KAWAI~!" said Tsumugi and Saeko in unison.

Class G's ballet lesson took place with three Dancing Princesses, one Road Warrior, and one Gem Stone already in costume. Saeko and Itsuko both wore dresses similar to that worn by Hitomi, but Saeko's was colored gold and had goldenrods where Hitomi's dress had roses, and Itsuko's was colored blue and had violets in the same places. Ana wore something less fancy and more sporty, closer resembling something a cheerleader would wear, plus matching bike shorts underneath.  
The lesson was more or less the same as the week before, but by then they had started to learn some new skills, including the rond de jambe and coupe balance. In addition, they were no longer facing the barre for degages and piques.  
As always, Coach Nashton guided them through the lesson.  
"First position of the feet. Demi, stretch. Demi, stretch. Full grand plie, and return. Port de bras forward, full port de bras backward. Repeat with the feet in second position."  
As the students started doing their plies, Coach Nashton went around checking them for balance and proper arm positioning, and to see that they would be able to safely hold the positions for the center exercises they'd be doing on Monday, which was Picture Day and the day before Golden Week started, and the week after.  
"Miss Hisakawa, watch that your turnout isn't too wide," she said. Catching a glimpse of Ana also demonstrating an excessively wide turnout, she added, "You too, Miss Yotsuya!"  
She continued her inspection of the students. "Make sure your arm's positioned correctly, Miss Yukihiro. Thank you. Miss Nikaido, for someone who has no prior formal ballet training, you're getting pretty good at this. Same to you, Mr. Ichinose. Miss Fukuda, I'm glad to see it runs in the family. Miss Kitamura, keep those leg muscles engaged while holding the position."

"She's right, Akiko," Saeko said as they were practicing with the stick. "Because it appears easy doesn't make it any less important in the development of your technique. Come to think, I remember having the same problem as you years ago."  
Akiko said, "It would seem you learned from it, because you're engaging your leg muscles like someone who's been doing this for years."  
"That's because I have," Saeko said.  
"In any case," Akiko said, "I heard some nasty rumors about Tsumugi."  
"What!? What did she do?" Saeko asked.  
With a perplexed look on her face, Akiko replied, "Apparently, she flipped another girl's skirt. That's what I heard, anyway."  
"That's a damned lie!" Tsumugi exploded. "Who the bloody hell would tell such a despicable lie, anyhow?"  
Akiko said, "The same girl, who I didn't recognize, also said Hitomi's been hitting on Murasaki and Sakura all day."  
"Hey, now, that's totally inaccurate!" Murasaki shouted. "Right?"  
"Of course!" Hitomi interjected. "Whoever that gossiper is, I have a bad feeling she heard about yesterday's events and is trying to capitalize upon what happened!"  
"'Yesterday's events'? What are you talking about?" Murasaki asked, confused.  
"Haven't you heard?" Tsumugi asked. "My friends and I got into a fight yesterday. It's all right now, though."  
All of a sudden, a puddle crept into the dance studio. "That puddle is not a good sign," Tsumugi said upon noticing it. "I'm all too bloody familiar with it."  
"So am I," Saeko said.  
Sure enough, the puddle continued towards the only other student presently wearing denim, Mika Kotobuki. The shorts-clad rhythmic gymnastics student was tripped up within seconds, and her stick was shortly possessed and mutated into a Hebinodoku.  
"Coach Napier!" Hitomi shouted. "Get Coaches Nashton and Navarro and the other students over to a safe place!"  
As Coach Napier realized what was happening, he shouted, "Ichinose knows what he's doing! Let's get inside the dressing rooms!"  
The trio of coaches started herding their students into the dressing room. "Not these four," Hitomi said, indicating Tsumugi, Saeko, Ana, and Itsuko. "The ones in costume... this is their fight as much as it is mine."  
"This is especially true for me," Tsumugi said. "Come on, Saeko!"  
Ribbon and Ring were conspicuously absent. Ana asked, "Where are they?"  
"Well, Ring did say they had school at this time," Hitomi said as he removed his Rhythm Console from under the sash around his dress. Tsumugi opened a pocket on her leather jacket and removed her Rhythm Console. They and the other three entered the code. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop!"  
"Intelligent, noble, and cool as ice! I am Cure Rope!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
Just then, Anaconda entered, wearing the Altair uniform. Tsumugi exploded, "YOU! You tried to separate us!"  
Anaconda said, "Yes, I did."  
"Well, at least you're bloody honest about it," Tsumugi said. "Still, the fact that you tried to separate us using the cheap tool called gossip shows just how shallow-minded you are. You thought trying to spread horrible rumours about us would do the job? You thought our bonds would split so easily? Well, guess what? EPIC FAIL! I'll punish you!"  
"Hardly," Anaconda said. "I'll leave you to fight my Hebinodoku. Auf wiedersehen, idiots!"  
With these words, Anaconda left the dance studio. The Hebinodoku resembled an oversized, bipedal rhythmic gymnastics stick carrying a standard-sized rhythmic gymnastics stick. It first thrust its stick at Saeko, who countered with a bare-handed block. It went after Tsumugi next. "Big mistake," said she. "CLUBS KICK!"  
She sent the Hebinodoku flying with a single roundhouse kick. Unfortunately, it recovered fast enough to punch them both out. It then proceeded to raise its foot to try to flatten them both, but Itsuko pushed them both away just in time. "Thanks, Itsuko," Tsumugi said.  
"Any time," Itsuko said.  
The trio then kicked the Hebinodoku from all sides and tried to punch them, but all three dodged by jumping. They went so high, they were able to kick the Hebinodoku in the head together. Deciding it was wasting its time trying to hold them off, it went for Hitomi and Ana. Together, however, they proved to be a force to be reckoned with. "NOW!" Hitomi shouted.  
All five Cures kicked the Hebinodoku in sync. "HOW CAN IT BE!?" it shrieked.  
"We may have our differences," Tsumugi said.  
"But we're all part of the same team in the end!" Saeko finished. "Duet Flying Kick! Un!"  
"Deux!"  
"TROIS!"  
Tsumugi threw Saeko into the air to land one final kick on it to drop it. "Precision Baton."  
A red gymnastics club resembling a cross between a cheerleading baton and a magical girl's wand appeared in her right hand. She twirled it in front of her as she lifted her right leg in a passe, then threw it into the air as she performed a clockwise tiptoe turn. She then proceeded to do a backflip and caught the club with her right hand, posing on her tiptoes with her left arm stretched out to the side and her right stretched out in front of her.  
"PRETTY CURE PASSION PIROUETTE!"  
With these words, she launched into a series of multiple pirouettes, twirling her baton above her, in front of her, and to the side variously. Afterwards, she lowered herself and posed with her left leg outstretched and her right leg bent underneath her. Holding her club above her head, she unleashed a burst of light that hit the Hebinodoku, purifying it. She then stood back up and curtsied.  
After the Cures detransformed, the other Class G students and the coaching trio emerged from the dressing rooms. "Yep, the coast is clear," Tsumugi said.  
Hikari said, "Oh, my mother's dance school has four studios. Three see use every day. The fourth, Studio D, hasn't been used in years and in fact has been totally shuttered, but she says you're welcome to use it as your base."  
Saeko asked, "How did you know about us?"  
Hikari chuckled and said, "My kid brother told me all about you and how you fought that monster inside of Studio A right before the dress rehearsals a few days ago."  
"Sure," Hitomi said. "We'd like to use it."  
He opened his hand to find a Cure Chip inside of it. As a matter of fact, all five Cures had the same Cure Chip in their hands, containing a teleportation spell. "I'm not the only one who needs to be able to go from place to place at will," he said as he concealed the Cure Chip in the sleeve of his dress.

About an hour later, the Cures appeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms in the hallway of the Fukuda School of Dance, performing tiptoe turns while twirling gymnastics ribbons around them. They were all dressed differently than their usual rhythmic gymnastics outfits: Hitomi, his orange Ballerina Minako cosplay; Tsumugi, her cheerleading uniform (a white tank top with the Tigers' colors worn over a red T-shirt and black shorts); Saeko, her ballet class attire; Ana, her regular outfit at Kokoro Agency (a white T-shirt and a green see-through ballet skirt worn over dark green bike shorts); and Itsuko, her general education uniform. All except Ana wore tights with their respective outfits. Tsumugi's kid brother Hiroyuki, of course, went with her and had his arms in fifth position the whole time. He was already in the first of three costumes he would wear for his class's concert, which would take place in just a couple of hours or so, after his class was over.  
"'Reserved for Delta Force'... Madame Fukuda really loves her humor," Saeko said.  
"Yeah, I can see where Hikari gets her goofball side from," Tsumugi said. Glancing towards Hitomi, she said, "And for God's sake, mate, put a skirt on!"  
"I can help with that," Hikari said. "Welcome to Studio D."  
She gave Hitomi an orange tutu skirt which she had made over the past week. "Oh, I made this myself after I heard you got that Ballerina Minako cosplay from the fourth season of Sailor Moon," she said as he put it on and secured it by adjusting his dark blue waistband. "You don't have to thank me, of course."  
Tsumugi's eyes widened. "I didn't know you were into fashion design!" she exclaimed.  
"Your friend Yukari showed me how to do it," Hikari admitted. "She and I actually made a bunch of the recital costumes I the dressing room, including that which your brother will wear for the Coppelia selection during tonight's concert."  
Tsumugi led Hiroyuki to Studio A, where the class would take place, as Hikari unlocked the door. "Be sure to bring whatever you used to teleport into Studio D with you."  
Once the Cures entered, Hikari closed the door behind them and locked it. "OK," Hitomi said. "Let's freshen this up."  
With everyone pitching in, the Cures were able to get everything done just in time to accompany Hiroyuki to his class's concert at the school's extravagant-looking theatre, standing together in an out-of-the-way part of the wings as they watched the class's performances up close and personal.  
Tsumugi was particularly glad to be watching the whole concert with her friends.


	9. Li'l Ribbon Lost

Ribbon dug a hole in the ground quickly. Boa was closing in on her. She knew she had to dig fast, not to mention think fast, or Boa would have her for sure. Luckily for her, there was plenty of sufficiently soft soil for Ribbon to go through, as Dream City, though it was founded upon concrete forming a pentagonal shape, had a fairly thick upper layer of natural soil. Within seconds, Ribbon was completely underground and out of Boa's sight. In her frustration, Boa tore futilely at the dirt around the hole, as she was at the moment too big to fit in the small hole Ribbon had dug. "I may not be able to capture you in this form at this time," Boa snarled, "but I can at least bury you alive."  
Meanwhile, in the rabbit hole she dug, Ribbon continued burrowing ahead of her. "I knew this form would come in handy here in the Realm of the Greenery," she said to herself. "I just gotta be careful not to hit my head when I surface."  
She ended up surfacing in the Upper Corner, right in front of a mansion which was situated right behind a wall of buildings. The wall itself was further concealed by a brick wall on either side of the mansion. There was a concrete road going from the garage to a gate which connected the mansion itself to the outside world, and connected to that was a stone path leading to the front door.  
As soon as she was completely out of the hole, she transformed into her humanoid form, this time dressed entirely in pink—her leotard, skirt, tights, and ballet slippers—except for a pair of canvas gloves, which were gray. She quickly filled in the hole, wondering what the owners of the mansion would think of a rabbit hole in their front yard. She figured they probably wouldn't go down that rabbit hole, and in fact would likely call pest control if they saw it. So as to not get her ballet slippers dirty, she stayed on the path as much as possible as she filled in the hole.  
Almost at that moment, a teenage girl with dark cerise hair going just past her shoulders, wearing a purple tank top and blue jeans, emerged from the mansion through the front door. She was Hikari Fukuda, Saeko's dance classmate who also went to karate class with Hitomi and Tsumugi. Seeing the strange pink-haired girl, dressed as a student of her mother and also sporting outside gloves, on the premises of her family's mansion, she asked, "Who are you?"  
Ribbon, though briefly startled, got up and introduced herself. "It's a long story, but in this form, I go by the name Rica Bandai. But you can call me Ribbon."  
To Hikari, the word "Ribbon" rang a bell. "I seem to have heard that name somewhere before," said she. "Oh, I think I remember! My karate classmates Hitomi and Tsumugi mentioned you from time to time. You're that pink rabbit who can become a humanoid girl and vice versa, right?"  
"Yep!" Ribbon said. "Come to think, you look almost like your mother..."  
"Hikari. Why?"  
"Could you teach me how to dance?" Ribbon asked.  
Hikari paused and seemed in deep thought for what seemed like a minute. "It would be my pleasure," she finally said before curtsying. "Care to dance?"  
"I'd love to!" Ribbon shouted. "Thank you so much, Hikari!"  
"Any time," Hikari said, smiling. "Please, come inside."

"WHAAAAAAAAT!? You're kidding, right?"  
After a pause during which Ring responded to the affirmative, Hitomi started calling his friends. He began with Tsumugi. "This is no time for joking, Princess!" he shouted upon hearing a witty greeting from his half-Australian self-proclaimed lieutenant. "Ribbon's gone missing, and we don't know what's happened to her!"  
"Calm down, mate, we'll find her!" Tsumugi assured him. "Where do we meet?"  
"Same spot in Soho where we met last Sunday. The sooner, the better."  
"I'll be there."  
It was Saeko's turn to freak out when Hitomi told her the news. "WHAAAAAAAAAAT!? I'm scared!"  
"Get ahold of yourself, Saeko! Are you a Pretty Cure or not?"  
Saeko quietly said, "Yes."  
"Meet me and my friends at the same rendezvous site as last Sunday, and be quick about it," Hitomi ordered. "We've no time to lose!"  
Ana was the next to receive the news. "I don't believe it," said she. "Where do we meet, Boss?"  
Hitomi groaned, annoyed that Ana was treating him like an absolute superior. "Same lamppost in Soho where we gathered last Sunday, and make it snappy!"  
"Sir, yes, sir!"  
Last, but not least, was Itsuko. "Oh, dear," she said upon receiving the news. "I do wonder what happened to her."  
"That's what I want to know, too," Hitomi said. "Remember the lamppost where Tsumugi had us gather last Sunday? It's in the center of Soho near the department store, you can't miss it. Now, then, let's not waste time!"  
"Sure, I'll be there. If I'm not when you arrive, look for a Fifth Avenue limousine to pull up."  
Hitomi knew immediately what Itsuko was talking about. Every day, she had shown up outside of Altair's front gate in the same black limousine. It was a vintage beast, with a Landau roof, tinted windows, a blue velvet/leather interior, and the familiar Pentastar above the grille. Considering it was likely the only one of its kind in Japan, it would be very easy to spot. "I can't miss that for sure."  
About a half hour or so later, everyone—Hitomi, Tsumugi, Saeko, Ana, Itsuko, and Ring—had gathered at the designated rendezvous point in Soho. Hitomi, wearing the same jacket, T-shirt, skirt, tights, and boots as the Sunday before, was the last to arrive, along with Ring. Tsumugi, who had forced him to wear the skirt that day, was surprised to see him already wearing it. Glaring at her, he said, "I didn't need to be told twice, Princess."  
"Right... where to?" Tsumugi asked.  
Ring said, "Come to think, I did remember Ribbon communicating with me via telepathy before I broke the news to Hitomi. She said she had dug a hole to evade a certain woman with scales all over her."  
Ana froze as soon as she heard the woman's description. "Boa..."  
"Right! We need to look for some rabbit holes," Hitomi said, "be they still open or already dug in. Where do we look first?"  
"Wherever there's natural soil directly underneath our feet," Ring said.  
"Where specifically?" Itsuko asked.  
Ring thought for what seemed like a minute and said, "How about the grass patch near the Amphitheater?"  
"I think that's exactly where I would look," Ana said, "so... great idea!"

Meanwhile, in a tall, dark, and metallic building so high up it reached the stratosphere, a corporate meeting was taking place. Cottonmouth the Terrible, the leader of Unpleasant Dreams, Inc., listened as Boa the Constrictor made her report. On either side of Boa was a table at which members of UDI's Board of Governors were seated.  
"Ladies, I am sorry to have to report," said she, "that my quarry, the pink leporid who calls herself Ribbon, has escaped from my clutches. In her cowardice, she resorted to the base tactic of burrowing. She even flung dirt into my face and tried to blind me! I couldn't have taken her in this form after that, so I took it upon myself to bury her alive."  
Cottonmouth's rage was growing. She removed her glasses. "If your name is neither Basilisk, Rattlesnake, Anaconda, nor Boa, you're dismissed."  
Many of the Governors departed from the room. The Nightmare Beauties, who stayed inside, were visibly worried, sensing trouble. They were right. Almost as soon as the Governors had departed, Cottonmouth started shouting. "BURY HER ALIVE!? You decided to deal with a rabbit, a creature that can travel underground, by BURYING HER ALIVE!? How much more SHALLOW can you get!? So this is what it has come to? MY OWN GENERALS NOT BEING ABLE TO THINK STRAIGHT!? And you, the Nightmare Beauties, call yourselves my generals!?"  
"Perhaps," Anaconda said, "there is something I can suggest—"  
"MY OWN GENERALS, EMBARRASSED BY A PUNY WOODLAND CREATURE!"  
"Don't shout, milady, you're only making it worse!"  
"AND JUST WHAT, ANACONDA, DO YOU SUGGEST!?" Cottonmouth thundered as she threw a pencil on her desk. "WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?"  
"How about we send Boa down there again—"  
"So she can bungle it AGAIN?"  
"The pink spore's right," Boa cut in. "I was simply frustrated and wanted to get that wascally wabbit immediately."  
"And therein. Lies. Thy. PROBLEM!" Cottonmouth roared. "Why don't you just track her?"  
"Come to think," Anaconda said, "I did sense those twerps searching for her."  
Cottonmouth calmed down. "Boa," said she, "do what you need to do, but follow them. And use your brains this time; you have some, after all!"  
As Boa proceeded out the door, down the stairs, and towards the exit, she thought long and hard about where she had gone wrong. Eventually, she decided that this time, she wouldn't attack the Cures.  
At least, not until they had led her to Ribbon...

"Amazing! Simply amazing!" Ribbon exclaimed upon seeing the Fukuda family's own private practice space. It looked fairly ornate, and there was certainly more than enough space for the whole household to be practicing if they cared to. Marley panels covered the entire floor, and there were velvet curtains and mirrors all around. The area had both stationary and movable barres, in addition to a dressing room which was used as necessary. All in all, it was a pretty fitting practice area for a Romantic-style mansion.  
"Just wait a while as I change my shoes," Hikari said as she grabbed a pair of pointe shoes hanging on a door with her name on it.  
Ribbon's attention was captivated more and more by the private studio. She wandered around for a bit until she once again caught site of Hikari, now wearing the pointe shoes. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "Can I have a pair of my own?"  
"Not now, Ribbon," Hikari said. "You're just a novice. For now, let's go through the positions of the arms and the feet."  
After that, plus some stretching, things really got started at the barre, with Ribbon several feet behind Hikari.  
"Watch me closely," Hikari said. "Let's start with some plies from first and second position of the feet. You do know what first position is, don't you?"  
"Yeah! Feet together!" Ribbon said.  
"At the heels," Hikari reminded her. "Also, pay attention to your turnout. A good dancer must always demonstrate good turnout. Ready? OK. Demi plie. Stretch. Demi, stretch. Grand plie, stretch and return."  
Outside, Madame Fukuda was watching her daughter give the strange little girl dance lessons. She stood by until they had finished with plies in second position, after which she approached them. "You're a strange little girl," she told Ribbon, "though I seem to recognize you. Remind me where I remember seeing you again?"  
Ribbon said, "At your dance school during the dress rehearsals last Tuesday for Friday's concert."  
"Oh! Now I remember! I think I recall overhearing you asking about the possibility of formal training," Madame Fukuda said. "For now, being taught by my daughter should suffice, so as to help you catch up to other girls your age who are learning the fine art of classical dance at my school. Hikari, I trust you will teach her well until she's ready to join a class for girls her age?"  
"Sure I will," Hikari said.  
Madame Fukuda smiled and said, "Carry on."  
Seeing her mother depart from the private studio, Hikari said, "I almost forgot. Mom and I would like to know your age."  
Ribbon said, "Somewhere around 10 or 11 in this form."  
They got back to the lesson quickly. "Right," Hikari said as she cleared her throat. "Where were we?"

Meanwhile, the Cures, accompanied by Ring, had arrived at the Amphitheater. Almost as soon as they were there, Ana got an idea. "Why don't we split up?"  
"Great idea, mate," Tsumugi said. "We could cover more ground that way! Right, Hitomi?"  
Hitomi was hesitant to respond. "Come on, mate, you're the leader! Do you agree with the plan or not?"  
Finally, he said, "It should go without saying. Tsumugi, you and Ana can check out the left. The rest of you, cover the other side. Now let's go!"  
As there were no performances scheduled that day, the Amphitheater was empty. "I just wish we had a Cure Chip that could tell us where rabbit holes are," Ana groaned. "It'd be much easier that way, even to two groups of three!"  
"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Tsumugi said. "The Cure Chips we've got, we've got."  
"How do you think Ribbon's doing?" Hitomi asked.  
Tsumugi's reply was blunt: "Either she's alive, or she's dead, or the Nightmare Beauties got her, or they don't, mate."  
Ana's eyes widened. "I'm surprised at you, Red!" she exclaimed in pure shock. "How can you think like a monster at a time like this? Why don't you just tell us you haven't got a clue and be done with it instead of going all Mr. Blonde on us?"  
"That's Miss Blonde to you, Green!" Tsumugi snapped. "And another thing: we waste time by talking! Right, Hitomi?"  
Hitomi could not have agreed more.  
Over on the other end, Ring's party wasn't having a much easier time. "This is ridiculous," he groaned. "I can transform into a rabbit like my sister, and I can't tell where rabbit holes are? I'm embarrassed!"  
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Ring," Saeko said. "We'll find your sister no matter what it takes."  
Itsuko suddenly started losing her balance. Saeko and Ring were able to save her from falling. Ring looked at the area around her feet and picked up a banana peel. "This is why there are laws against littering," he grumbled as he threw it into the nearest wastebasket. "In any case, I'm disappointed you didn't lose your footing to a rabbit hole."  
"EUREKA!" shouted a distinctively Australian voice. "I think Tsumugi found something!" Saeko exclaimed.  
"Well, what are we waiting for? Everyone follow the sound of a teenage girl with a General Australian accent!" Ring shouted.  
As they started running to the area identified, Itsuko remarked, "She sounds more Broad Australian to me."  
The hole was a long ways off from the Amphitheater, in a space full of trees and bushes, but closer to the side which Hitomi's party was searching. Upon arriving, Saeko turned pale, seeing the hole already filled in. "I'm s-s-scared for her," she quietly moaned.  
"It doesn't mean a thing!" Tsumugi shouted. "Just because some whacker filled in the hole, Ribbon could've still made it for all we bloody well know!"  
Ring investigated the dirt trail in front of the hole and shouted, "I think we may have a clue!"  
Rolling her eyes, Ana said, "And so the Sherlock of rabbit holes decides to expound his wisdom in regards to the directions in which rabbits burrow based on the dirt path directly in front of it."  
"You know, Ana," Hitomi suddenly said in English, "I think you're more sarcastic than Lisa Scarlett Serena Logan Nikaido could ever hope to be."  
Ana's eyes widened. "That's her full name!?"  
"Spot on, mate," Tsumugi said. "Tsumugi is simply my Japanese name."  
"In any case," Hitomi surmised, "if we follow this trail, we should get to where Ribbon presently is. That said, let's not waste any more time now that we have a positive lead!"  
Ring started digging an even bigger hole. "My sister may be no slouch," said he, "but I'm a lot faster, and also a lot stronger! Come on in!"  
Hitomi asked, "Did you bring any blue jeans, Princess?"  
"Luckily for Saeko here, yes," Tsumugi replied. "I also brought some boots and gloves for Saeko and Itsuko, since they generally like to keep clean."  
Tsumugi pulled two pairs of denim overalls, gloves, and boots out of her purse and gave them to Saeko and Itsuko, who put them on over their normal clothes before proceeding into the hole with her and the others. However, Saeko was a bit slow, so by the time she finished, Itsuko was already in the hole. "Hey, wait for me!" she shouted as she ran into the hole.  
Unknown to them, Boa was tailing them, waiting for the right moment to strike. "Take me there before the sun sets," she sneered. "I want to know what I can do with a Hebinodoku!"

On the Cures burrowed, trying to follow the trail of unsettled dirt directly in front of them. "If this was Albuquerque," Tsumugi quipped as the proceeded to the edge of the Lower-West Corner, "this would be where we turn left."  
"This is where we turn left!" Ring snapped. "Don't you see where the smaller trail my sister left behind is going?"  
"Of bloody course I do!" Tsumugi roared. A huge pile of dirt promptly fell on top of the search party.  
"QUIET!" Saeko shouted. She was none too happy about soil having fallen on top of her and slugged Tsumugi for the effort. For her part, Tsumugi admitted, "I think I deserved that one."  
"Seriously, Red, not cool!" Ana snapped.  
"I know," Tsumugi said sheepishly, feeling embarrassed at having avalanched her own friends, especially Saeko and Itsuko.  
"Enough! we waste time by fighting," Hitomi said. "Where are we?"  
Ring took some time to try poking his head above the ground but hit a hard surface. "Somewhere beneath solid concrete, that's for sure," he groaned in pain.  
"You OK?" Tsumugi asked.  
"I should be," Ring replied.  
They continued northward, through the Upper-West Corner.

Eventually, they made it.  
Five human heads and one whole rabbit popped out of the front lawn of the Fukuda mansion. "I recognize this place!" Saeko exclaimed as she and Itsuko scrambled out of the hole and the overalls, gloves, and boots, relieved to be over with the dirty part of the search. Tsumugi took it upon herself to fill the hole back in as soon as everyone was out.  
As she did so, Madame Fukuda opened the door and saw them.  
"Our apologies," Hitomi said without much time to think. "We were following the trail of a lost friend of ours, and it ended up right here."  
Madame Fukuda's eyes widened. "You mean Ribbon? Do come in. My daughter was just teaching her ballet."  
No sooner did the Cures and Ring enter and Madame Fukuda close the door than Boa popped out, upset. "I've got to break in somehow," she muttered as she stared at the closed door in utter bewilderment.  
Meanwhile, in the family's private studio, Hikari was demonstrating chaine turns to Ribbon. When she finished, she said, "Now you try it."  
Ribbon did so. "Not bad for a beginner," Hikari quipped. "Just don't let your body shake so much." The humanoid in pink had tried the chaine turns while in a state of slight nervousness, and her body had trembled some. "I know how it feels. I was a bit nervous at this stage myself. In fact, I had stage fright several years ago. Mom understood perfectly well, of course. Nowadays, I look forward to concerts with great anticipation instead of nervousness."  
Almost at that moment, she saw her friends stretching in various parts of the studio. Seeing Hitomi some yards to her left, his skirt spread out at full length as he slowly stretched both of his legs around him from front to back, his toes pointed outward, was enough of a surprise to her, but the biggest surprise was seeing Tsumugi, wearing nothing on her feet but a pair of white bobby sox, having already removed her sneakers upon entering the studio, slowly rising onto her toes on a single foot while stretching her other leg against the barre. Hikari was amazed enough that she was already experienced enough at ballet to go en pointe, but even more so that she could do so even if she wasn't wearing any shoes. "How long have you been at this?" Hikari asked?  
"My brother taught me for a few years," Tsumugi admitted.  
"Just long enough for you to go en pointe, I take it?"  
"That ain't wrong," Tsumugi replied.  
Saeko, who had removed her dress to reveal a black practice leotard underneath and was already doing plies at the barre, explained, "She'd been out of practice for a few years, but over the past two days during our rhythmic gymnastics practice sessions at the dance school, she'd demonstrated small amounts of pointework from time to time. The first time I had noticed she'd been wearing pointe shoes to those practice sessions, I was stunned."  
"I too was shocked," Ana remarked. "I was like, 'What is she trying to do, show off?' And that was just the first time I saw her doing a couple of pirouettes on her toes while twirling a gymnastics ribbon around her."  
"Well, she's still got that balance," Saeko said.  
All of a sudden, there was the sound of a lock being picked and a door opening. Tsumugi immediately went on alert and whipped her Rhythm Console out of her jeans pocket, so that she could be ready in case a Nightmare Beauty had broken in. Seeing Tsumugi react like that, Hitomi flipped himself back onto his feet and removed his Rhythm Console from the pocket of his leather jacket. Itsuko removed hers from the pocket of her dress shirt. Ana pulled hers out of her shorts pocket. Saeko, whose dress was lying some yards away from her in the studio, sprinted away from the barre and searched for a pocket on its pinafore. Upon finding one, she opened it and pulled out her Rhythm Console. She didn't even bother putting it back on before joining her friends.  
Their worst fears were confirmed. Only Itsuko didn't recognize the scaly woman before her, but Hitomi, Tsumugi, Saeko, and Ana knew perfectly well who she was, having fought her once before. Neither Hikari nor Ribbon were paying any attention; Hikari was busy teaching Ribbon ballet, and Ribbon was busy learning from Hikari.  
Boa was staring intently at the lesson going on. "It would seem my quarry's got a new drive for perfection," said she. "Now I've got to exploit it!"  
Performing the summoning ritual, Boa sent the Hebinodoku after the pointe shoes hanging from the door marked SHOTARO. The shoes instantly turned red, filled by the form of a scaly-skinned dancer wearing little else but a black leotard. The Cures reacted at once. "PRETTY CURE! SHOW YOUR MOVES!"  
"The flowery ribbon spinning gracefully in the wind! I am Cure Twirl!"  
"The bright, airborne light! For justice I fight! I am Cure Clubs!"  
"Getting the ball rolling, I strike like lightning! I am Cure Sphere!"  
"The power of courage! I fight for what's right! I am Cure Hoop!  
"Intelligent, noble, and cool as ice! I am Cure Rope!"  
"Take to the floor!"  
"With power and grace!"  
"YATTA! Together, we're Pretty Cure!"  
The studio quickly became a battleground. In contrast with the serene ballet lesson Hikari was giving Ribbon, the Cures were fighting the dancing Hebinodoku. Hitomi charged forward towards the creature, but it swatted him away. Thankfully, his foot caught the barre before he could hit the wall behind him, and he used it to propel himself towards the Hebinodoku as it was going after Saeko and pushed her out of its path.  
"Thanks," Saeko said, out of breath.  
"Don't mention it," Hitomi said. "Just use your ballet skills to fight it!"  
Unlike his sister, Ring was definitely paying attention to the fight going on around him. "That's no way to teach people how to dance, you scaly-skinned beast!" he shouted angrily. "If you're going to fight us, then fight us!"  
The Hebinodoku's arm transformed into a cannon and fired at Hitomi's feet to force him to dance. Finally, it fired straight at him, but he knew exactly where it was aimed and, for the sake of his manhood, jumped immediately. The projectile missed, but it barely grazed the hem of his skirt. "That was a close one!" he exclaimed in relief as he landed. The Hebinodoku lunged at him, but he calmly did some well-timed fouettes to knock it aside. However, almost as soon as he stopped, it found an opening and blew him all the way to the ceiling. As soon as Saeko saw him in that precarious situation, he started falling. Thankfully, she was able to catch him before he hit the ground. "Ironic, isn't it? This reminds me of that one time you were tripped up by a banana peel," Hitomi said. "Oh, I hope I'm not crushing you under my weight."  
"Don't worry about it," Saeko said. "My arms can support you just fine."  
Thinking it had finished with Hitomi, the Hebinodoku started going after Tsumugi, Ana, and Itsuko. "You heard Hitomi earlier, Green!" Tsumugi shouted. "Try fighting it with some ballet!"  
Ana tried to remember the lessons she got at her agency's headquarters. Finally, she stopped, studied its position briefly, and imitated it. The Hebinodoku stopped, and a brief dance battle ensued, culminating in her kicking it away as she shouted, "HOOP KICK!"  
Saeko was the Hebinodoku's next opponent in the dance battle. She finished her performance with 32 fouettes and knocked it towards Itsuko, who proceeded to reenact a portion of the Nutcracker's fight against the Mouse King before sending it towards Tsumugi by punching it as she shouted, "ROPE PUNCH!"  
Tsumugi tried hard to keep up to the beat the Hebinodoku was setting and made a lot of effort to contrast its style. Her movements were light and delicate as she tried to channel her memories for the lessons Hiroyuki, her kid brother, had given her all those years ago. She was finally able to disarm the Hebinodoku by putting her arms in fifth position and twirling a few times with both feet in direct imitation of a music box ballerina before finishing with a high kick that sent it flying towards Hitomi.  
Having taught himself ballet for some time all those years ago, he now tried to channel those memories into his performance. To everyone's amazement, his own included, his determination caused him to temporarily change costume. A pink light fused his leotard and skirt together and transformed the skirt so that it looked more like Saeko's, with a puffier form supported by additional layers of white tulle and a shorter length which was half the length of his outstretched upper arm.  
"Give it the best shot you've got, mate!" Tsumugi shouted.  
Hitomi nodded and turned to face the Hebinodoku. He distracted it with a partial reenactment of The Dying Swan. As it watched in amazement as he didn't even try to directly combat it, Tsumugi decided to hit it with her finisher. "Precision Baton."  
A red gymnastics club resembling a cross between a cheerleading baton and a magical girl's wand appeared in her right hand. She twirled it in front of her as she lifted her right leg in a passe, then threw it into the air as she performed a clockwise tiptoe turn. She then proceeded to do a backflip and caught the club with her right hand, posing on her tiptoes with her left arm stretched out to the side and her right stretched out in front of her.  
"PRETTY CURE PASSION PIROUETTE!"  
With these words, she launched into a series of multiple pirouettes, twirling her baton above her, in front of her, and to the side variously. Afterwards, she lowered herself and posed with her left leg outstretched and her right leg bent underneath her. Holding her club above her head, she unleashed a burst of light that hit the Hebinodoku, purifying it. She then stood back up and curtsied.  
"You win this one," Boa snarled, "but don't think it'll be as easy as a dance battle next time!"  
She disappeared by the time the family's security team caught up with her, and the Cures had already detransformed. The guards aimed their tasers cautiously, and of all things, that caught Hikari's attention. "It's OK," she told the guards. "They're my friends."  
The head of the security team said, "Sorry about that. We were told that there was an intruder here. One with scales all over her skin that gave her a snake-like appearance."  
"She left as soon as we dealt with the monster she had unleashed," Hitomi said.  
The security boss said, "Well, I'm glad to know we're on the same side here. As you were."  
The security guards departed, after which Hikari was able to gives the Cures and Ribbon a more organized ballet lesson all together. Ring, who was watching the whole thing, breathed a sigh of relief not just that Ribbon was all right, but also that she and the Cures could dance together in peace.


End file.
